Crossover IV: Poison Apple Part II
by AriaRose7
Summary: Desperate to bring Kendal home, Aria and her friends travel back and forth between worlds attempting any means they can think of to bring her to reason. Meanwhile, Sahrissa's past brings forth a much bigger danger for them all.
1. Prologue

**_A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to Part II of Crossover IV: Poison Apple. I know it took a long time, but I'm finally done writing the story. Each chapter will be uploaded weekly, but not the exact same weeknight each week. My summer work schedule to too unpredictable. I hope you all enjoy this story and thank you for reading!_**

 ** _Before reading this, you should read:_**

 ** _Crossover: Another World_**

 ** _Crossover II: Evalius_**

 ** _Crossover III: Nemesis_**

 ** _Crossover IV: Poison Apple Part I_**

 _Crossover IV: Poison Apple Part II_

 _Prologue (Intro)_

Myrtle wondered about her new darkened tower, aimlessly. She had only just recently escaped her almost certain death in Evalius. The young fairy had been chosen by Lord Argarion to be his bride. This, however, did not mean she would rule his kingdom side by side at his hand. Instead, she would be part of a ritual joining them together. This union would have allowed Argarion to steel her youth, giving the remaining years of her life to him so he could live longer. He performed this deadly ritual every ten years.

Every bride chosen before has died, that was until Myrtle. Lord Argarion did not count on her supposedly good fairy magic to save her. To escape, Myrtle had no choice but to use her magic for darkness, thus allowing her to survive. This, however, was what led to her being expelled from the Sisterhood. This was an elite group of fairies that go around, passing gifts to young princesses. These fairies were also one of the few that knew the secrets of Evalius.

Myrtle now considered herself evil. After all, there was no point in denying it considering every person she knew saw her as so. She just was not sure what to do first. After all, she was fairly certain the princess she was meant to curse has not even been born yet. What was she supposed to do with herself in the meantime?

She then thought of the other kingdoms with their own happy stories. Why do these young princesses and peasants have to be the one that get happy endings just because destiny says so? After all, fate chose to condemn her for a reason unknown to Myrtle. Why could she herself not get a happy ending?

Myrtle then realized her own life was ruined because someone interfered that should not have. After all, she was never supposed to even see Lord Argarion, nonetheless be chosen as his bride. He found her and interfered with her destiny. Myrtle began to wonder if because of this, she could change someone's fate. She began to ponder up a plan for her first evil act.

Myrtle traveled across to a simple little farm. She honestly had no idea why a fairy with powers to conjure up anything at thought would choose to live here. However, this is what Shayla, the fairy godmother, chose for her life.

Myrtle used her wand to open the door. She found Shayla sitting at a spinning wheal, aimlessly spinning up straw into gold and silver. Her light red hair fell down over her shoulders. She wore a simple white and green gown. At Myrtle's sudden presence, she jumped.

"Hello Shayla," Myrtle greeted, pleasantly. "It's a pleasure to see you after all this time."

"What do you want, Myrtle?" she asked.

Myrtle smiled with a hint of sly. "You once guided me before I officially joined the Sisterhood. Perhaps I simply came to ask for some advice."

Shayla sighed and asked, "What can I do for you, Myrtle?"

Myrtle then shook her head and head. "Actually, I think I'm ready to guide a young maiden myself."

Before Shayla could react, Myrtle waved her wand, making the spun gold and silver rise up, wrapping itself around the elder fairy, binding her.

"I'm curious about the girl you were planning to visit," Myrtle went on, casually.

"Please, Myrtle, I beg you," Shayla pleaded. "Do what you want to me, but leave Sahrissa alone! She's innocent and has done nothing to deserve your wrath."

"You know I was once innocent too," Myrtle pointed out. "I guess its just not meant for everyone to stay that way."

With that, Myrtle vanished, leaving the leftover straw to grow and form itself around the farmhouse so that no soul can either go in or out.

xXx

Sahrissa awoke coughing as she did every morning. The ashes from the fireplace would always somehow find a way to get in her throat. She was forced to grow accustomed to this, as there was nowhere else warm for her to sleep. She used to have a bed of her own, but her Stepmother took it away from her so the cat could have a place to sleep.

Stretching her arms in the air, Sahrissa stood up and walked to the small barrel of water in the corner of the room. She took a cloth in and placed it in to dampen it before using it to clean her face. Sahrissa used to forget this sometimes and her stepmother would call her Cinderrissa, only without any hint of humor in her tone.

Sahrissa then sighed, figuring she better go ahead and prepare some breakfast before her Stepmother, Vivienne, wakes up. This woman had to be the strictest sternest woman Sahrissa has ever met. She had no idea what her father saw in her.

Sahrissa's father owned his own manor and had a fair amount of money. Once her mother passed away from illness many woman in the kingdom wanted his hand in marriage. Her Father grew quite fond of Vivienne when they first met. At first, her stepmother, merely did not pay Sahrissa much attention. However, after her father passed away in a hunting accident, Vivienne suddenly grew cold towards her young stepdaughter. Ever since she was twelve, Sahrissa was treated as a servant rather than of nobility, as she was used to.

Sahrissa began to heat water over the fireplace, preparing to boil some eggs. At the sound of light footsteps approaching, she drew in a sharp breath, dreading her stepmother's presence. She then let out a sigh of relief to see that it was just Jillian, her younger stepsister.

As of now, Jillian was the one person who ever showed Sahrissa kindness. She was only a year younger than Sahrissa herself. Jillian would actually chat with her as though she were part of the family rather than just a servant. She would even sometimes try to stand up to her mother when she thought she was being too cruel.

"Are you starting breakfast?" Jillian asked, stepping behind her. As Sahrissa merely nodded, she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Sahrissa shook her head. "No, I think I got it. However, if there is a way you can keep your mother and sister asleep a little bit longer, I would be eternally grateful."

"How about a sleeping spell?" Jillian suggested with a grin.

Sahrissa laughed. "That just might work. Only, I think I would get a little too relaxed around here."

They remained silent for a few minutes, before Jillian asked, "So do you think you are going to the ball next week?"

"The prince's ball?" Sahrissa asked quietly without much enthusiasm.

"Yes!" Jillian answered more excitedly. "I hear at this ball, he will choose a bride. I don't think I have much of a chance, but I am still excited to go to a royal dance! What about you, Sahrissa?"

"Honestly," Sahrissa began quietly, "I don't think there is much of a chance in your mother letting me go."

Jillian sighed and said, "Well, maybe I can say something to her, try to convince her to let you come. I hope you can. Otherwise I won't have anyone to talk to."

Sahrissa grinned and patted her little stepsister on the head. "You're very sweet and charming, you know. If not the prince himself, then at least a dozen guys will be overjoyed to meet you."

Sahrissa then went into the other room to get more water for drinks. Once she entered, she dropped the barrel, startled by the presence of another person. This woman had long dark brunette hair and wore an elegant purple dress.

"Who are you?" Sahrissa demanded.

"Hello," The woman smiled and said, "My name is Myrtle, and I am your fairy godmother, young Sahrissa."

Sahrissa gawked at the tall dark haired woman, who claimed to be her fairy godmother. Her jaw dropped just like the barrel of water she was holding.

"Fairy godmother…" Sahrissa repeated as she forced herself calm and tilted up the fallen water barrel. "I always thought fairies were smaller."

"Fairies have the ability to change their size," Myrtle explained as she smoothed her soft purple gown. "Seeing as we mostly interact with people, it seems most suitable and convenient to remain the size of a human."

"I see," the young maiden said as she backed towards the door. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have some chores to finish up and my stepmother gets really upset when things aren't done just right so I better be going…"

Just as Sahrissa approached the door, she found it had slammed in her face. She turned around and saw the fairy had waved her hand.

"Why are you rushing off?" Myrtle asked her. "Are you not curious as of why I'm here?"

"I would like to talk to you, really I would," Sahrissa pleaded, "but my stepmother… if she…"

"You've already seen that I have magic," Myrtle cut in. "Why do you feel the need to be so afraid of her?"

Sahrissa looked down and mumbled, "She has magic too."

The fairy raised her eyebrow. "Really? Well, that's rather unexpected. What kind of magic?"

Sahrissa hesitated but then lowered the sleeve of her right shoulder and turned around, revealing deep claw marks on her back. "She did this just several months ago after she returned from a trip up in the northern lands. I think I did not sweep the family room properly or perhaps I forgot to put out the fire in the fireplace. I can't remember now."

"And it won't heal," Myrtle observed and motioned her hand. "Come. Let me see it."

Sahrissa slowly approached her fairy godmother. Myrtle lifted her hand up and held it over the wound. A soft glow fell from her hand but it did not even seem to touch Sahrissa's claw marks.

"Her magic did this," Sahrissa explained, pulling her sleeve back up. "It's frozen somehow so it won't heal. I guess yours can't undo it."

"I suppose not," Myrtle quietly agreed, appearing befuddled for just a moment. "But it can still make a difference in your life. Tell me, Sahrissa, what are your dreams?"

"Um…" Sahrissa hesitated. She barely told her younger stepsister, Jillian, her hopes and dreams. Seeing as Myrtle was a complete stranger to her only made it more difficult. She finally answered vaguely, "Freedom would be nice."

"Freedom," Myrtle repeated looking rather impressed. "I would have thought a girl your age would dream to go to the ball."

Sahrissa looked down. In truth, a part of her did desire to go to the ball but she did not care to admit it.

"Well, it would be nice," the young maiden answered, thoughtfully. "But, it's only one night and I doubt the prince would even notice me. After that, I would have to return here anyway."

Myrtle tilted her chin up and asked, "What if I could guarantee that the prince does indeed notice you and selects you to be his bride?"

Sahrissa raised her eyebrow. "How can you do that? No offense, but you can't even undo my stepmother's magic?"

"Well, aren't you the skeptical one," Myrtle commented with a chuckle. "I am still a fairy with magical powers. Also, I know for a fact that it is your destiny."

"My destiny?" She repeated, feeling suddenly dazed.

The fairy tilted her head to the side and stepped towards the young maiden. "Well, it could be, if you so choose it."

"That does sound nice," Sahrissa admitted. "I never imagined I could actually be a princess."

"Oh yes," Myrtle went on casually, "You'll be pampered in the castle while you wait around for the current king and queen to move on before you get to become queen."

Sahrissa giggled. "All of the sudden you make it sound so dull."

Myrtle stepped even closer. "I'll admit, at first I thought it was the right path for a girl your age, but now that I've come to know you, I can see you becoming so much more."

Now, Sahrissa felt more intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"I can teach you how to use magic," Myrtle went on, deeply. "Once you've practiced it enough it will become a part of you, just like an arm or a leg. With it, you'll be in control of your own destiny. You can get away from your wicked stepmother."

That all sounded like a dream, though Sahrissa still felt hesitant. "Where would I go?"

"There is a kingdom where the king recently lost his wife," Myrtle explained. "He is in search of a new queen and maternal figure for his young daughter. If you take this path you could be queen right now and out of reach of your stepmother. What do you say?"

Sahrissa gazed up, thoughtfully. She honestly could not see any downside to this plan. No longer living in fear of what her stepmother might do to her seemed like a dream.

"I would like to be his queen," Sahrissa agreed quietly, "but, Fairy Godmother, can I please just ask you for one more favor?"

Myrtle shrugged. "Sure."

Sahrissa glanced at the door before continuing, "Before I met you, my stepsister, Jillian, is the one person who has shown me any kindness since my father's passing. If not me, can you assure that she is the one who capture's the prince's attention at the ball and marries him? She deserves to have a good life."

Myrtle smiled. "Of course, my dear. Now, come with me."


	2. Chapter 1 Permanent Residence

_Chapter 1_

 _Permanent Residence_

With her wand firmly gripped in her palm, Adora strolled up the bright green hill towards the House of the Sisterhood, where the fairies resided. She had no intention of actually using her wand but she found holding it tightly helped her keep focus. What she had to do was in its own challenge, try to sway the mind of the leader of the Sisterhood, Verna.

In recent time, Verna had declared both Queen Sahrissa and Queen Kendal had to die for disturbing the balance in their world. In the Northeast region, each kingdom had its own story, where good always wins and evil is defeated. Verna strongly believed that as long as each story was permitted to run its course, everything would remain peaceful. But now, Kendal and Sahrissa were raging war against one another. This would be the first war that ever occurred between kingdoms in the Northeast region.

Adora also could not forget, Kendal was a close friend to Aria. She did not even want to think of how the young Princess of Galatia would react if her friend was put to death. Adora wanted Aria to see the fairies as guides, someone to look up to, especially if she were to become Queen of Galatia.

When she entered the brightly lit house, Adora found Verna alone, looking out the window into the green pastures. The fresh smell of spring sifted in through the open windows. Each day grew warmer as the region neared towards summer.

"Verna," Adora began slowly, "I need to talk to you."

"I know what you came to discuss, Adora," Verna replied, her eyes distant. "It concerns Queen Kendal, does it not?"

"Kendal," she said firmly, "is just a girl. You're judging her too harshly. It's not her fault Sahrissa decided to come after her. That is when the story got messed up in the first place."

Verna sighed, still gazing out the window. "Sahrissa's story was already tampered with by Myrtle. That was when this fracas truly began."

Adora drew in a breath. "Surely you don't mean to condemn Myrtle to death as well."

The head fairy stepped away from the window and turned to face Adora as she answered, "I've spoken the words before but in truth I do not think I can put one of our own sisters to death, not matter what she's done."

Adora felt a small comfort of relief and pointed out, "Kendal is Aria's friend. It would grieve the princess greatly if you were too…"

"I do not know what I intend to do," Verna admitted. "I never imagined a situation as this and now something else has happened."

"What has happened?"

Verna held out her hand. "Come with me and I'll show you."

When Adora took her sister's hand, Verna led her to what appeared to be a land covered in layers of snow. She imagined they had gone far north.

"Where are we?" Adora asked.

"Don't you recognize your princess's home?" Verna asked, extending her hand. "This is Galatia."

Adora's eyes scanned her white surroundings. "But it mid-spring. It never snows here in spring at all."

"Precisely," Verna agreed. "Something is affecting the seasons and who knows what else."

Adora studied her leader's expression and then asked, "You don't think this is because of the war between Kendal and Sahrissa do you?"

"I don't know," Verna said. "But if its not them, then that means something else is out there."

xXx

Words spread like venom at Sheerwood High. By the end of the day, the entire school suspected Kendal of murder. By the end of the week, the press was included. Aria had not even seen her friend since the day of the murder.

"This is insane!" Vanessa stammered as they left the school that Friday afternoon. "I can't believe people actually think Kendal killed our councilor."

Aria remained quiet as they walked to the school parking lot. She wished she could share Vanessa's confidence that Kendal for certain did not commit the murder. However, after what Myrtle said about Kendal putting King Victor under a sleeping curse, Aria was unsure of what to expect of her friend.

"We should talk to the fairies," Vanessa suggested. "Maybe there's something magical they can do to make all this go away so Kendal can come back to school."

Aria let out a breath before saying, "I don't think the fairies would be willing to do something that extreme in our world. Besides, we can't ask them to create a lie in a non-magical world."

Vanessa stopped walking and turned to look at her sharply. "What are you suggesting, Aria? You're making it sound like you think Kendal actually did it!"

"We don't know what happened," Aria replied, trying to contain a level tone. "The only evidence we have is that Kendal was the last person seen talking to Becket and they had a huge fight right before he was killed."

"That doesn't mean she did it!" Vanessa stammered, hotheadedly. "For all we know, she could have been set up. Maybe it was Argarion? That would make more sense. Whatever Kendal has become now, there is no way she would ever do something like this!"

"She's already done something close to this," Aria pointed out, her eyes narrowing towards the ground.

"What do you mean?" Vanessa demanded in a more cushioned tone.

Aria reluctantly explained, "Well, according to Myrtle, Kendal did place the king she was supposed to marry under a sleeping curse."

Vanessa gasped for a moment lost of words. She then considered quietly, "Well, its just a sleeping curse. It's not like she murdered him. All he needs is true love's kiss and he'll wake up, right?"

"I suppose," Aria muttered, not even wanting to go into how to find the true love of a king who already lost his first wife.

"It still doesn't mean Kendal would murder Becket," Vanessa went on hardly. "I can't believe between the two of us, I'm the one defending her."

Aria sighed and considered, "I think we just need to talk to her and get her point of view on what happened."

"You're right," Vanessa agreed as they started walking again. "We should go to her place now. I bet she's freaking out. She needs us."

The girls walked to Kendal's house, which was only a few blocks away. The walk was only just minutes longer than the path from Sheerwood to Aria's house. The conversation was either light or completely silent.

When they arrived and rung the doorbell, a red wet-eyed Mrs. Lewis cracked open the door.

"Hi Mrs. Lewis," Aria began with caution. "Is, uh… Kendal there?"

Mrs. Lewis shook her head as the tears started to drip down. "No, Kendal hasn't come home at all this week. I don't know what happened. There's no sign of her anywhere. The police have been looking but…"

Aria and Vanessa both looked at each other. Aria could tell they were thinking the same thing. Kendal decided to make a permanent residence in the other world.


	3. Chapter 2 Lady Tatia

_Chapter 2_

 _Lady Tatia_

Kendal woke up feeling a harsh chill against her cheeks. She pulled out a silk robe from beside her bed and wrapped it around her as she peered out through the window into the kingdom of Bellaire. Grey clouds coated the sky while trees swung their branches back and forth by the fierce wind. The weather struck Kendal as odd since it was supposed to be spring yet it felt like winter but she didn't think on it much. After all, she was still new to the ways of this world.

After she dressed herself, Kendal walked down the hall thinking of the life she left behind. She did miss her family and friends but she could not think of what else to do in her situation. After all, most of the school and possibly even her own friends thought her to be a murderer. Kendal was not sure of who really committed to deed against Becket but she suspected the Evil Queen. After all, Sahrissa likely thought she was hurting Kendal by destroying her life in Nebraska. However, a small part of Kendal actually appreciated the excuse to stay in this world. It gave her more time to plan and prepare her next move against Sahrissa.

As she neared the princess's room, the sound of wailing filled the atmosphere. Every morning this occurred and every morning Kendal's heart sank with the infant's cries. She knew little Annabelle was crying because of her father and it was her fault. Kendal had tried to go in and comfort the child but it never did any good. This time when she cracked the door open and glanced at little red-faced Annabelle she shook her head and looked down. She had to do something.

Kendal marched up to the king's chambers and asked to guards to let her visit her supposed fiancé alone. When she entered, she found King Victor lying in bed, appeared to be fast asleep. Everyone believed he had fallen into a coma but Kendal knew the truth. She did this.

Kneeling down beside him, Kendal lifted up her hands forming a golden glow in between them. She held her hands over King Victor's chest but the light merely hovered over him.

"Come on," Kendal grunted, hoping to see his eyes open.

She continued to try different forms of magic for what felt like thirty minutes but nothing worked. Kendal finally huffed and stood to her feet overwhelmed by frustration. If she was the one to place him in this curse, why could she not pull him out?

As she felt another cold wind from the open window, Kendal touched the king's blanket and noticed it was rather thin. She grabbed a wool blanket from the wooden cupboard and covered it over him. Kendal then heard the door slowly open.

"Queen Kendal," the king's advisor, who's name she's forgotten, said. "You have a visitor."

Kendal nodded and followed him out of the room.

"Who is it?" Kendal asked as they walked to the main throne room.

"Lady Tatia," he answered swiftly. "She is the sister of the late Queen Jillian."

"Oh," Kendal answered simply. She imagined this girl was here to offer her condolences to the king or visit the princess. Kendal hoped a visit from her aunt would help bring cheer to little Annabelle.

When Kendal entered the throne room, Lady Tatia was shown in. Her guards held each of her arms to guide her down through the entrance. Tatia's faded blue eyes were wide open but they did not move. Kendal did not even see her blink.

"Is she blind?" Kendal asked her advisor in a whisper.

He nodded.

"Lady Tatia," Kendal rose from the throne and slowly approached her. "I welcome you here. I trust you are here for your brother-in-law or niece. I am sorry…"

"I have no interest in either of them," Tatia interrupted. Her voice was short and shrill.

Kendal stepped closer to her and looked into her eyes. It was strange how motionless they appeared. They were so clear and reflective it almost seemed as though a layer of water or ice covered her eyes.

"Why have you come then?" Kendal asked her.

"May we speak privately?"

Kendal nodded. "Of course."

Tatia's guards led her behind Kendal into a private room with a long table. Her men assisted her in sitting down in a chair and one handed her a walking stick before they both bowed and took their leave.

Kendal started to ask again, "So why…"

"You are in a war against Queen Sahrissa," Tatia said before she could ask again.

"Yes," Kendal agreed. "What is it to you?"

"I have known Sahrissa for quite some time now," Tatia explained, clutching her black cane. "She is quite the cunning one. It will not be easy to fight her."

Kendal slowly strolled around the table trying to conceal her impatience. "I figured that much. Is there anything else you know about Sahrissa that might help me against her."

"No," Tatia answered simply and took in a long breath, "but I do know someone who can help you defeat her. With her on your side, you cannot lose."

"Her," Kendal repeated, quite intrigued. She stopped walking and looked straight at Tatia. "How do I find this woman?"

Tatia giggled with an eerie way about it. "Can't you feel the coldness drawing near, Queen Kendal? She's already coming."


	4. Chapter 3 Ice

_Chapter 3_

 _Ice_

Vanessa asked her brother to take her and Aria downtown so they can cross worlds. They did not want to draw too much attention to the fact that they were going. Their boyfriends both could be a bit overprotective, which Aria saw as a distraction at the moment. Neither seemed to know just how to approach Ian with all this. Aria just hoped they could figure out a way to simply convince Kendal to return to Nebraska.

When they used the fountain to enter into the other world, Aria felt a chill when she stepped onto the surface by the lake, even though she was not wet.

"Does it seem colder to you?" Vanessa asked, wrapping her hands around her bare arms. "I would have brought a jacket if I'd known it'd be like this."

"I guess maybe winter's drawing out a bit more this year," Aria suggested with a shrug. "If you're cold, you can bother one of my coats in Galatia."

"We're going to Galatia first?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah, it's the nearest kingdom to this lake. We'll probably need a horse or something to take us to Bellaire."

Vanessa looked around. "Doesn't something usually show up to give us a ride?"

Aria glanced into the nearby forest. "Sometimes, but I don't see anything now. Anyway, we don't have time to wait around. We need to get to Kendal as soon as we can. Besides, the transportation's not always convenient. If we get that donkey that took Walter and me to Evalius last year, we'd be better off walking."

The two girls followed the path that led to Galatia. The more the walked, the more coldness seemed to fill the air. By the time they arrived, Aria and Vanessa saw Galatia covered from the edge of the city in a sheet of snow.

"Snow in the springtime?" Vanessa question, tilting her head. "That's kind of weird for here, don't you think?"

"I guess," Aria muttered, not wanting to take the time to be concerned about the weather. "Let's just go in."

When Aria stepped through the gate, she felt her feet slip from beneath her causing her to fall flat on her bottom on the cold hard ground.

"Aria, you okay?" Vanessa asked, as she slipped too, landing on her side.

"Yeah," Aria panted, as she attempted to stand up.

Both girls struggled to stand firmly on the solid ice. Vanessa tried stomping to crack the ice but it would not budge.

"Jeeze, why can't this be snow?" Vanessa grumbled, still trying to stand properly. "At least you can walk on snow."

Aria scanned the streets. There were hardly any people outside. They few that were would slip about unable to grip their feet on the ground. Aria wondered if Galatia ever had this kind of ice storm often or even at all. The people did not seem to know how to cope with this extreme cold.

"Aria, what are you doing here?"

Aria turned to see Adora, apparently using her magic to hover above the ground. She appeared rather frustrated.

"You really should be careful about traveling between worlds," Adora continued. "You can't just come whenever you feel like it. These trips need to be carefully planned."

Aria raised her eyebrow. "You kind of sound like Verna."

Adora sighed. "I know. Verna has us quite busy now with all this going on."

"What is going on here?" Vanessa asked.

Adora circled her head around and gave an exasperated shrug. "We don't know. There has never been an ice storm in Galatia and now there's one in spring and only Galatia has been affected."

Vanessa glanced at Aria and wondered, "So you think this is magical related?"

"We are certain," Adora confirmed, "but we don't know how. Verna speculates that the war between Kendal and Sahrissa upset the balance of this world so much its causing strange weather patterns."

Aria scrunched up her face for a moment. She could not see how two queens going to war would affect the weather but there was still a lot about this world she did not understand. However, at this time, Aria just wanted to stay focused on Kendal herself.

"Speaking of Kendal," she said, "Vanessa and I came to talk to her. Can you take us to her? Maybe if we convince her to come home with us, things will go back to normal."

Adora agreed and magically transported the girls to Bellaire. However, they found Queen Kendal had gone to her other kingdom, Evalius. To Aria's frustration, Adora refused to take them there, insisting a princess of Galatia should not visit an evil land.

xXx

Kendal went to Evalius to see how the people faired there. She was relieved it was much warmer there. Bellaire grew colder and colder by the hour it felt.

"My queen, we are so grateful you've returned to us," Cain said at the door to the castle. "You've come sooner this time."

Kendal smiled momentarily and answered, "Yes, I'll be around more often from now on."

It took her some time but now Kendal finally seemed to know the fastest way through the maze to the center of the castle. She did not have to use her magic much at all this time. At first, she considered remodeling this castle to get rid of the maze but then decided it was a good set-up for keeping imposters away.

Kendal entered her throne room and sat in her new chair. Lord Argarion's throne was made of skulls with a black cushion to sit on. Kendal did not care for it so she had it replaced with a chair that had golden arms and a deep red cushion.

"My Queen," Terin, her main guard that always stood by the throne room's entrance, spoke, "I am told there is a visitor here to see you."

Kendal frowned. She was not expecting anyone here in Evalius. She, however, said, "Very well. Please send someone to show her the way in."

She then felt a coldness in the air. It felt as though she were back in Bellaire. The entrance doors first appeared to accumulate frost before bursting open. A woman dressed in a thick glossy white gown stepped in. Her skin appeared of white tissue paper with a subtle hint of blue. Her pale but hard eyes pointed towards Kendal, giving her an even greater chill.

"Queen Kendal," the woman began in a defrosting tone. "I believe you already spoke with my daughter."

Kendal merely nodded, recalling the blind girl she met in Bellaire. She did say she wanted to meet with this woman.

"Right," Kendal said, finally finding her voice. "I believe I sent word to you saying we would meet in Bellaire in two days time."

"Yes," the cold woman said, "I went there and you were not present so I came here to your original kingdom. I do not like to waste time."

Kendal gripped the arms of her chair, trying not to appear as intimidated as she felt. "Your daughter tells me you know how to defeat Sahrissa. Is that true?"

"Oh yes, I can easily defeat her," she answered, casually. "It's all a matter of getting to her. Sahrissa cannot know I'm near by or she'll run and be out of my grasps."

Kendal drew in a breath. "She's afraid of you."

It almost felt good to have someone who Sahrissa was scared of on her side but something still bothered Kendal. If this woman frightened the Evil Queen herself, what could she be capable of?

Kendal studied the woman's frosted skin that seemed to blend with her dress and then looked at the frozen doors behind her. There was even ice below her feet where she stood. Based on children's stories she was familiar with, Kendal was pretty sure she knew who this woman was.

"You're the Snow Queen, aren't you?" Kendal asked her while she stood up.

The woman let out a chilling laugh. "Snow? What do you think of when you see snow? Fun and fluffy, or light and playful? That's not what I am. I'm the Ice Queen."

She flung her hand forward and shot out a layer of ice, freezing the left arm on Kendal's chair. When Kendal touched it, she quickly flung her hand up as though she placed it on a hot shove. She did accidently set her finger on a running shove once. The pain was the same as what she felt now.

"Ice is cold, hard, even deadly," the Ice Queen explained. "That is my power. Now, you will either assist me in capturing Sahrissa or be sure to stay out of my way. Is that understood?"

Kendal could only nod.

"Good," this frozen queen replied, turning to walk away.

"Wait," Kendal called, stepping forward. "Why do you want to get Sahrissa so much? What did she do to you?"

The Ice Queen twisted just her head around and said, "It's not a matter of what Sahrissa did. It's her mere existence I find bothersome."


	5. Chapter 4 A New Queen

_Chapter 4_

 _A New Queen_

"So we need a way to get to Evalius," Aria said to Myrtle the next morning, "and none of the fairies, even Adora, will help me. She says Verna forbids it because of my parents."

Aria and Vanessa sat on top of the desks in front of Myrtle's desk. Today, Mr. Conner was doing the entire Homeroom so the girls used this time for discussion with their fairy teacher.

"Ah yes, Verna does take pride in forbidding things," Myrtle said, casually. "If the only reason you came here was to complain about her, you're just wasting time."

"We came to you because we need you to take us to Evalius," Aria said, firmly. "I need to talk to Kendal."

Myrtle looked at both girls and sighed. "I hate to say it, but I have no intention of taking you two to Evalius."

"What?" Vanessa gasped at her. "Come on. I thought you were supposed to be the cool fairy."

Myrtle raised her brow at her for a moment but then chuckled.

Aria grew frustrated and demanded, "Why not? I thought you didn't care about Verna's rules."

"I don't," Myrtle agreed. "But perhaps I still don't think you should go around Evalius."

Aria stood up and lashed, "How do you fairies expect me to rule one day if you all insist on treating me like a child? Besides, I thought my story was over anyway so I don't have anything to worry about."

"Our job is to protect you, Aria, and things are not normal in that world right now," Myrtle answered calmly. "Also, you are acting quite childish now."

Aria could feel her skin start to burn but shook her head. "You know, if you're not going to help me, I'm just going to go to Argarion and ask him to help me get to Evalius. Come on, Vanessa."

Vanessa slid off the desk and started to follow Aria to the door. When Aria placed her hand on the door handle, Myrtle said, "It's Kendal you need to talk to, correct? All you need is to ensure that she is in Bellaire next time you go to see her. I can do that for you."

"How?" Aria asked, apprehensively.

"I'm going to Evalius after school today," Myrtle said. "The next time you cross worlds, I guarantee you will find Kendal in Bellaire."

xXx

Myrtle went straight to the other world after school. She planned to make a trip to Evalius but first she stopped by the fairy coven, finding Verna and Adora alone.

When Verna caught sight of Myrtle, her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be keeping close watch of Princess Aria. You haven't brought her here, have you?"

"Relax, Verna," Myrtle replied, exasperated. "Aria should be safe home with her parents by now. You should be thanking me as I refused to take her to Evalius because of your rule."

"It was her parents', the king and queen, order," Verna said firmly. "It's probably best the princess doesn't cross worlds for a while, at least not until we get things back in order here."

Myrtle raised her eyebrow. "And how are you planning to do that, Verna? Even you don't seem to know what's going on."

"It started when Kendal crowned herself queen of Evalius," Verna answered, stiffly.

"Which wouldn't have happened if Argarion didn't chose her for his bride in the first place," Myrtle reminded her. "You could even trace it back to when Argarion first broke the rules and chose me. Or perhaps things got messed up when I decided to become Sahrissa's fairy godmother. The ice and returning winter, however, did not start until after all of that."

"She has a point," Adora muttered, sitting by the window. "We don't know why the winter is strong now."

"Up north, north of all the kingdoms there is an iceland," Verna said, looking down. "I've never been, but there is a theory that the land itself is enchanted."

Adora glanced at Myrtle and then looked at their leader, curiously. "You never spoke of any of this, Verna."

"Is it good magic or evil magic in these icelands?" Myrtle asked her.

Verna shook her head. "I don't know. The cold is so intense no one ever goes there, even magical beings. Perhaps if anyone did, they never came back."

"Do you think that perhaps, the magic from this land is expanding to the kingdoms?" Adora asked.

Verna looked up and considered. "I suppose that's possible. If so, we fairies need to find a way to stop it."

"Well, if that's the case, then this world's problems have nothing to do with Kendal or Sahrissa," Myrtle commented. "While you two figure that out, I will be making a trip to Evalius."

Verna looked at her, alarmed. "What business could you possibly have in Evalius?"

"You want to assure Aria and her friends don't try to go to Evalius themselves?" Myrtle challenged. "I assure you as long as Kendal reigns as queen, our little princess will keep trying until she finds her own way there."

"She would not disobey like that," Verna said, sternly.

Myrtle chuckled. "She's a teenager. None of them listen. Besides, she's gone against both our wishes before, right Adora?"

Adora looked to both her sisters and sighed. "We probably should let Myrtle do whatever she has planned."

Verna let out a breath, seemingly realizing her own words were foolish. She looked to Myrtle and asked, "And just what to you have planned?"

Myrtle almost sneered. "You'll see soon enough. Trust me, it will work." She then turned her head. "Oh and Adora, I will need you to take over princess duty in the other world for a little."

Adora raised her brow. "How long will this take?"

"Don't worry about it now," Myrtle said calmly. "I'll also need you to take over my English class since I didn't bother to get a substitute."

xXx

Myrtle used her wand to transport to the entrance doors of the castle. Her wand then became her guide through the maze to the main throne room. She walked passed two guards in pointed hats straight towards the empty throne.

A guard with a badge stepped towards Myrtle and demanded, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm a fairy," Myrtle answered, "You have no reason to feel threatened by me. Now, is Queen Kendal here?"

"Queen Kendal just left this afternoon for Bellaire," the guard answered, looking quite apprehensive.

"Good," Myrtle replied. "That will make matters much simpler."

The guards stepped towards her with caution but made no sign of attacking. A few men in red robes, Myrtle assumed to be advisors entered the room to see what was happening.

"Very good," Myrtle said, eying the people. "I would like as big an audience as possible for this."

The people glanced at one another, some starting to appear fearful.

"People of Evalius," Myrtle announced, stepping in front of the throne, "you name Kendal your queen because she was Lord Argarion's recent surviving bride." She turned around to face the crowd as she spoke on. "You all made a mistake. Yes, Kendal was chosen as his bride, but she was not the first chosen bride to survive his ceremony. I was."

The room filled with gasps and whispers but no one dared object her.

Myrtle sat down on the throne and thundered, "I Myrtle, hereby declare myself as the rightful Queen of Evalius."


	6. Chapter 5 Happily Ever

_Chapter 5_

 _Happily Ever…_

Aria and Vanessa walked to Homeroom together that morning. This day the girls were supposed to meet in Myrtle's room, while the guys in Mr. Conner's. People still gossiped about their theories on Becket's murder.

"I think its obvious Kendal did it," Karin was saying to anyone who would listen. "I mean, why else would she disappear like that. Also, I can't believe she's still nominated for Prom Queen. Someone here should probably do something about that, right?"

"I don't think anyone really concerned about Prom with everything going on," Lacey pointed out. "I also don't think Kendal murdered anyone. That's crazy! I bet her mom sent her to her dad's for a while in secret to keep her away from all the commotion."

Aria sighed, wishing Lacey's theory was true. She did not say anything to Vanessa, wanting to avoid an argument. Aria decided she would not condemn her friend for anything until she was absolutely sure. All she knew was that the murder had to be by someone magical. The police found no weapon even though it was clear Becket had been stabbed. There was also no trace of fingerprints anywhere in the office, even where there should be. Aria figured someone used magic to erase the evidence and went a little too far. Perhaps it was Kendal as she had magic, but Aria supposed Sahrissa could have come in and done a messy magical job cleaning up after herself to deceive them.

When the girls entered their classroom, the first thing Aria noticed was that it was not Myrtle sitting at the teacher's desk. It was Adora.

As students started to mingle in, Adora stood up and announced, "Good morning, children… uh, students. I am Ms. Fleming and I will be filling in to Ms. Malone while she's away." She picked up a paper packet and glanced at it. "I guess it says here, I'm supposed to read some announcements for you."

Aria and Vanessa sat in their usual desks, exchanging confused glances. The bell rang, signaling when Homeroom was actually supposed to begin. Adora took no notice of the bell and continued reading. She covered sports, the upcoming Choir concert, and reminders to vote for Prom King and Queen. Aria found that Karin was right. Even though Kendal was suspected for murder and not currently at the school, her name was still listed under the nominations. She wondered if people were actually still voting for her friend.

Right as the dismissal bell rang Aria and Vanessa eyed each other and waited for the other girls to leave before walking up to the teacher's desk.

Adora, however looked at the door with interest. "That's curious. How do they all know when to leave?"

Aria's glanced up at the speakers on the ceiling. "That bell you just heard signals us when classes begin and end."

Adora tilted her head, still confused. "But the bell I heard at the beginning sounded the same if I recall? Shouldn't the bell ending this session have a different sound than the beginning bell?"

Vanessa shrugged and nodded. "She actually has a pretty good point there."

Aria, however, shook her head impatiently. "We don't have time to discuss bells. Where is Myrtle?"

"Myrtle," Adora's lips puffed slightly, looking suddenly irritated, "decided to crown herself Queen of Evalius without giving any notice of her intentions."

Aria's eyes widened. "She did what?"

"Yes, she's queen there now," Adora continued. "I found out from Verna, who is quite infuriated, needless to say."

Aria glanced at Vanessa, who appeared just as startled, unsure of what to say.

"Why would she do that," Vanessa finally asked, looking at Adora.

It was Aria who answered, "She said she had a plan that would ensure Kendal would always be in Bellaire when we go. I guess that was it."

Vanessa turned her head to Aria. "So what do we do now?"

"The same thing we originally planned," Aria said firmly. "We need to go talk to Kendal."

As the two girls started to leave the room, Adora cautioned, "You girls should understand nothing good can come from a former evil fairy sitting on the throne of an evil kingdom. Kendal might not be the only one you have to worry about now."

xXx

After school let out, Aria and Vanessa decided to cross worlds right after school, not wanting to waste any time.

"So how are we going to get downtown?" Vanessa asked as they pulled their backpacks out of their lockers. "I don't think Adora will be willing to take us."

Aria swung her backpack over her shoulder and looked at her, answering simply, "Ian."

Vanessa tilted her head. "Ian?"

Aria nodded feeling more confident on this. "Yes, Ian's our best chance at getting through to her. Think about it, Vanessa. In the other world, true love is way more powerful and we know for a fact Ian is her true love since his kiss worked last fall."

The girls walked around the corner to Ian's locker and found him by himself pulling out his football clothes. As the girls approached him, Aria tried to think of what to even say. She has not had a real conversation with him since Kendal skipped worlds. When his girlfriend left, Ian kept quieter than ever. Even Derek said he could not get much out of his best friend.

"Hey Ian," Vanessa said casually, as she briefly stroked her hair.

Ian turned his head from his locker, glancing at Aria. "Oh hey. Were you looking for Derek, because I think he's already at practice."

Aria shook her head. "No, we wanted to find you." She glanced at Vanessa before adding, "We were going to go see Kendal and we were wondering if you wanted to come."

Ian glanced awkwardly at the clothes in his hand before saying, "Well, I have football now so…"

"Ian, you haven't seen your girlfriend in over a month and now you're choosing football practice over her?" Aria pointed out to him trying to keep her tone level.

"She's the one that left me," Ian reminded her.

"I don't think she meant to leave you," Aria said, firmly.

Vanessa looked between them and chimed in, "Yeah, she probably just freaked with the whole murder thing and ran away because she couldn't think of what else to do."

"The point is she needs us now more than ever," Aria said and eyed Ian, "all of us."

Ian sighed and tossed his football attire back in his locker. "Okay, let's go."

Ian drove the girls downtown and they went through the portal. Seeing as there was no nearby transportation the three had to walk to Bellaire. Even though the walk took more than forty-five minutes, Aria was relieved they didn't have to walk to Evalius.

Bellaire was cold but not like Galatia. Aria wondered why her kingdom was covered in sheets of ice while this nearby land was merely sprinkled with dusts of snow.

By Princess Aria's request, she and her friends were immediately brought to the castle to see Queen Kendal. Aria almost forgot she had the advantage of being royalty in this world.

When they were brought before Kendal, the queen hardly appeared surprised to see her friends and her boyfriend. Aria figured she used her trips to Evalius to dodge their visits.

"Aria," Kendal said simply, stepping towards them, eying Vanessa and Ian. "What brings you all here?"

Aria eyed the nearby hall and asked, "Is there somewhere more private we can talk?"

Kendal nodded and led them to a small room down the hallway. Inside, there were simple silver decorations but most of the dark wall was bare. Aria glanced at Ian and Vanessa. Neither seemed to know just what to say this moment. Even Kendal appeared hesitant.

"You know I didn't kill anyone," Kendal finally muttered, her eyes pointed downward.

Vanessa let out a relieved exhale. "Of course you didn't. We know you'd never commit murder."

Aria wanted to share her friend's optimism but could not. She asked, "If you didn't kill Becket than who did?"

Kendal shrugged. "I don't know. Sahrissa probably. That would make the most sense or maybe Argarion."

"And the king?" Aria questioned on. "What do you have to say about his deep slumber?"

Kendal sighed, dolefully, not bothering to deny this. "I know. I went too far. I thought I would be able to easily break his curse with my magic but…"

"Are you really engaged to him?" Ian cut in.

Kendal looked at him sadly and admitted, "No, I only said that to gain control of this kingdom."

"Kendal, this war with the Evil Queen is dangerous," Vanessa cautioned, stepping forward. "You could get yourself killed… again."

"I've come to far," Kendal said, determined. "I can't give up now. She's evil! Also, now that Snow White's story is messed up, there's no one to stop her or even see how wicked she truly is."

So Kendal saw herself as the hero. Aria wished she could count on that fact to stay true but with the stories in this world so dysfunctional, she had no idea what to expect anymore.

"Why don't you just come home with us?" Aria suggested meekly. "Maybe the fairies can fix everything."

"I haven't seen them doing anything, except Myrtle, who decided to steal my kingdom," Kendal commented, bitterly. "Besides, I can't go back. The whole school thinks I'm a murderer."

Aria shook her head. "There's no evidence that you did it. As long as no one ever finds proof, this whole thing against you should blow over. You don't belong in this world, Kendal. For all we know, you're presence here is what's messing everything up."

"I'm the one trying to fix things," Kendal said firmly.

"Are you?" Aria challenged. "Or are you simply out for your own revenge?"

Vanessa leaned towards her and whispered, "Aria, arguing with her isn't going to convince her to come back."

For a moment, Aria was shocked that Vanessa was the one to point that out to her and not the other way around. She, however, felt too much frustration to back down.

Vanessa then nudged Ian, and glanced at Kendal, hissing, "Come on, true love's stronger in this world. If anyone can convince her to come home, its you."

Ian inhaled and nodded, but said, "Kendal, if you choose to stay here and pretend to be engaged to this king, then it's over between us."

"Ian!" Vanessa gasped, her eyes widening. "That's not how you're supposed to do it!"

Ian, however ignored her and stared straight at Kendal.

At first, Kendal did not seem to know what to day. After a couple stiff moments passed, she finally uttered solemnly, "I guess it's over then."


	7. Chapter 6 Frozen

_Chapter 6_

 _Frozen_

"Well, that completely backfired on us," Vanessa grumbled the next day in Homeroom. "What happened to true love?"

This day the girls met in a separate class for their Homeroom. Aria and Vanessa chatted while they waited for the bell to ring beginning the class.

"This is a disaster," Aria commented. "Did you notice the entire atmosphere in that world felt different? Maybe true love just isn't as strong."

"I don't know. All I felt when I was there was just cold," Vanessa said. She looked at Aria and wondered aloud, "You don't think the random winter is affecting the overall atmosphere there, do you?"

Aria sighed and admitted, "I'm not sure. A lot of things are messed up in that world now so I suppose its possible."

"Do you think it's all because Kendal is living there as queen now?" Vanessa asked her.

"If it is, then all the more reason to bring her back home," Aria said flatly, with a soft pound to the table.

Vanessa huffed, looking doubtful. "You're forgetting that this entire school thinks she's a murderer."

Aria shook her head, unalarmed. "Maybe Adora or the other fairies can think of a way to deal with that. Right now, we just need to focus on convincing Kendal to come back."

"How?" Vanessa demanded. "If her own boyfriend, who's proven to be her true love, can't talk her into coming back then who can?"

Aria looked up as she felt a layer of fog lift from her mind. "Maybe we just need to try a different kind of love, family. We should bring her mother there."

xXx

That afternoon, Mrs. Lewis pulled up in front of the little building in downtown Norfolk with the girls in the back seat. It took quite a bit for Aria and Vanessa to convince her they knew where Kendal was, but her desperation to find her daughter kicked in.

As Mrs. Lewis put the car in park, Vanessa tilted her head and mouthed to Aria, "This is a bad idea."

"We've tried everything else," Aria whispered back. "At this point, I'd say we're out of options."

They all got out of the car and started towards the run down building.

Mrs. Lewis raised her eyebrow. "So are you telling me Kendal is in there?"

Aria swallowed a breath and glanced at Vanessa before answering, "In a way, yes. You'll see what I mean when we go in."

Aria led the way with Vanessa beside her while Mrs. Lewis followed still appearing quite uncertain.

Vanessa leaned over to Aria and whispered, "So what do you think is going to happen, Mrs. Lewis grounding Kendal and making her come home?"

"I'm just hoping a parent's love is enough to make her want to come back," Aria answered.

When they entered the empty building, Mrs. Lewis huffed and said, "There's no one here."

Aria glanced at Vanessa, hoping she can help come of with a way to convince Mrs. Lewis to step into the fountain. However, judging by her friend's expression, Aria could tell Vanessa was still not on board with this plan.

"Girls, what's going on?" Mrs. Lewis demanded. "Why have you brought me to this place? I don't see Kendal anywhere!"

"We need to go wait by the fountain," Vanessa said quietly, walking towards it. "She'll be able to see us from there."

Aria shot Vanessa a look of gratitude and then guided Mrs. Lewis to the fountain. She could still see the doubt that cluttered in Kendal's mother's eyes, but the desperation to find her daughter seemed to overcome that.

As the three of them stood in front of the fountain, Aria knew their next actions would have to be quick or Mrs. Lewis would walk away and likely not give this another chance. She took Mrs. Lewis's right hand and eyed Vanessa, who then took her left. Before Kendal's mom had the chance to pull back, the girls dragged her forward into the fountain.

Mrs. Lewis stumbled up, appearing quite disorientated as her eyes scurried to observe her new surroundings. "What… where are we… how did…"

She, however, failed to form a complete question as her body fell to the ground losing consciousness.

"Well, this is going great so far," Vanessa commented, letting out a huff. "You know, Kendal's probably going to kill us."

"We have to get to her first," Aria muttered looking down the path.

"How are we going to do that?" Vanessa moaned, eyeing Mrs. Lewis. "Are we supposed to carry her all the way to Bellaire on foot?"

Aria caught sight of a carriage moving in their direction. "Maybe we don't have to."

Aria rushed over to the approaching carriage and waved her hands, beckoning for it to halt. She was pretty certain the golden rose flag was the Bellaire symbol.

The driver pulled the reins and looked down at her. "Yes, my lady."

"Is this carriage heading to Bellaire?" Aria asked the driver.

He nodded.

"I am Princess Aria of Galatia and friend to Queen Kendal." Aria glanced back at Mrs. Lewis. "I have brought the Queen's Lady Mother to visit but we are in need of a ride."

The driver nodded and motioned his right hand. Two guards from the back hopped off and one opened the carriage door.

"Oh, can she get some help?" Aria asked, pointing towards Mrs. Lewis.

Mrs. Lewis did not wake up until the carriage arrived at the castle in Bellaire. She had her legs stretched out on the seat while Aria and Vanessa sat across from her. As she opened her eyes and gaped around, Aria imagined little fog puffs surrounding her head.

"Mrs. Lewis?" Aria began calmly. "How are you feeling?"

Mrs. Lewis rubbed her eyes and slowly looked about. "What… where am I?"

"It's okay," Aria said, calmly. "You'll see Kendal soon, I promise."

Sure enough, the next time Regina Lewis's eyes fell upon her daughter, Queen Kendal was sitting on her throne. Aria could not quite read her now royal friend's expression. Her eyes shielded a window of shock followed by frustration when they turned back to Aria.

Mrs. Lewis walked up to her daughter holding out her hands, touching her cheek as though to feel if she were real.

"Kendal?" Mrs. Lewis gasped. "All this time, you've been here?"

As Regina embraced her daughter tightly, Kendal returned the hug and glared at Aria and Vanessa, shaking her head.

"Well, Kendal's mad at us," Vanessa whispered to Aria. "Who'd have guessed that?"

"It doesn't matter," Aria answered firmly. "She can be furious with us all she wants. We just need Mrs. Lewis to bring her home."

Mrs. Lewis looked back towards the girls and Aria nodded at her. She turned back to Kendal and said gently, "Sweetheart, you have no idea how much I have missed you all this time."

"I know, Mom, I've missed you too," Kendal replied softly, "but I can't come back now. This is my home. I'm queen here."

At that moment, everything in Mrs. Lewis's expression changed. She clasped her daughter's hands, gleefully. "You mean… you've become… QUEEN!" She grabbed her daughter into an even tighter hug. "Oh honey, I'm so proud of you! You've really made something of yourself in this strange land!"

Aria's and Vanessa's jaws dropped as they gaped at the joyful mother and her queen daughter.

"How is it nothing we do works?" Vanessa demanded, rubbing her head in frustration.

Aria merely huffed. "Well, we've known Kendal's mom since we were five. I guess looking back on this, I probably should have seen this coming."

Vanessa groaned, "So now what?"

Aria glanced back towards the grand castle doors and then back to Vanessa. "I need you to make sure Mrs. Lewis gets back home. Kendal won't want her to stay here so she'll make sure you both are escorted back to the lake."

Vanessa eyed her suspiciously. "Okay… and what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to Evalius," Aria stated firmly. "This may be my one chance to get to Myrtle without the other fairies tailing me. I have to go."

Aria could easily see Vanessa was not to keen on this idea, but nevertheless, she sighed and agreed.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Vanessa asked. "Also, how are you planning to get home?"

"I need you to stay here with Mrs. Lewis," Aria said. "And I'll just have to hope Myrtle is willing to help me."

"And what if being a former evil fairy currently queen of an evil land gets to her?" Vanessa asked.

Aria sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I don't think she'll do anything to me regardless. She saved all our lives in that land once. Besides, my story here is over anyway."

Vanessa still appeared doubtful. "I'm not familiar with all the rules here, but I don't think that gives you a free pass to do whatever without getting in trouble."

"Well, nothing ever happens to me," Aria pointed out. "Look, I really need to do this. I promise, I'll call you tonight as soon as I get home."

xXx

Aria deported the Bellaire carriage right in front of the castle in Evalius. The warmer air comforted her cheeks. Aria was beginning to grow quite tired of the cold. She informed the front guard she was a friend of Queen Myrtle and asked him to escort her through the castle so she would not have to figure out the maze by herself. The way he led her was mostly lighted paths ending with the hall of painting Aria well remembered. She noticed Myrtle's painting had been moved to the end and the slash repaired.

As Aria neared the throne room, she heard shouting. She recognized the voice to be Verna, the head fairy.

Aria peered in and saw her yelling, "A fairy, sitting on the throne of Evalius is…"

"An abomination, yes I know, Verna," Myrtle interjected, exasperated, leaning on one side of her royal chair.

"Just what do you hope to accomplish by this madness?" Verna demanded.

Aria imagined smoke puffing from her ears.

"It's simple really. If Kendal has a right to this throne being a former bride of Argarion than I do to," Myrtle explained simply as her fingers touched the left arm of her throne. She flinched up, muttering, "My, that's cold… Anyway, I was chosen before Kendal and survived so theoretically, this right should have been mine quite some time ago."

"This is the land is the very thing that first brought you to darkness and now you are abandoning the Sisterhood for it yet again!" Verna raged on.

"I did not abandon the Sisterhood last time," Myrtle argued solemnly. "I was merely chosen."

"I told you to stay away from Argarion when you first met him and you did not heed my warning!" Verna argued. "And now, you refuse to listen to me yet again!"

"What can I say, I was bored then and I'm bored now," Myrtle answered quite calmly. "Argarion intrigued me because he used his magic as he pleased without fearing rules or consequences. Now, I too have the freedom to do as I please. It does not necessarily make me evil."

Verna shook her head and cautioned more quietly, "There will be consequences, Myrtle. You just can't see then now. I just hope you realize it before its too late."

As Verna used her wand and vanished, Myrtle huffed and glanced at her listening subjects. "You'll have to excuse her. Some fairies are born with sticks up their rears. It makes them quite rigid."

Aria took in a breath before stepping in the room where Myrtle could see her.

Myrtle appeared startled to see her but still smiled. "Aria, what a pleasant surprise. I did not think any of the fairies would let you anywhere around here."

"Well, Adora definitely forbade it," Aria replied, "but she's currently in our world covering your teaching position."

"It might be a permanent position for her if she wants it," Myrtle commented. "So have you managed to convince Kendal to return home?"

Aria shook her head. "No, we tried her boyfriend and her mother and both plans completely backfired." She huffed and added. "Even if she does come home, there are still people that believe she murdered Becket. Even I don't know for sure."

Myrtle shrugged and replied, "Well, I suppose I could try and figure it out for you if you like. After all, Kendal was queen here so I imagine someone would know of her plans."

Aria remained quiet, not ready to accept the fact that her friend just might be a murderer.

Myrtle could see the struggle in her eyes and presumed to say, "It seems more likely Sahrissa did the deed. After all, she would have more of a motive, as a way to lure Kendal to this world and make sure she stays. It's a good strategy, probably something I would have done back in the day…"

Myrtle's voice trailed off as she let out a sigh.

Aria asked, "Do you think that since Sahrissa was initially supposed to be good, there's a chance she still could be?"

Myrtle shook her head and looked down. "I'm afraid I've ruined that chance for her. I suppose if I haven't interfered with her life none of this would be happening right now. I guess a fairy guide, or a Fairy Godmothers if you will, is just something I'm not meant to be."

Aria could easily see this was a troubling subject for Myrtle. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I kind of looked up to you this past year and so."

The fairy queen smiled. "That's nice Aria. At least someone…"

At that moment, Aria felt the same chilled air she recently felt in Bellaire. She looked at Myrtle's chair and noticed only the left arm was covered in ice. It dawned on her, this weather was not a coincidence. Someone was doing it and that very person appeared right before her eyes.

A woman with icy blue skin and a pale gown appeared just in front of the room's entrance. Her entire body appeared of defrosting ice but nothing was colder than the hard look in her eyes.

"Where is Queen Kendal?" the woman demanded.

Instead of answering, Myrtle turned to Aria. "You should leave now, really. I'll have someone take you home."

"Where is the queen?" Her voice shrilled with more impatience as she asked the question again.

"I am queen now," Myrtle informed her, standing up. "Any matter you wish to discuss in this land, you shall discuss with me."

Aria glanced back and forth between the two women, the chill within her growing.

"Queen Kendal told me she would have Sahrissa here for me," the cold woman went on. "I do not appreciate being deceived."

"And just what do you want with Sahrissa?" Myrtle demanded.

The ice lady stepped forward, building rage. "That is no concern of yours! Now where can I find Sahrissa?"

"Myrtle, maybe we should both go," Aria pleaded.

The woman tilted her head, appearing intrigued. "Myrtle, you say? You're the Fairy Godmother, right?" She lifted her stiff fingers. "Well, this should send Sahrissa a message that I'm coming for her."

Before Aria could react, the ice woman blew against her finger ice shot out, slamming against Myrtle's stomach before vanishing. Myrtle's hand clasped over the area and she knelt down, slowing sinking back in her chair.

Aria rushed over to her. "Myrtle! What's happening?"

Myrtle's flesh slowing began to transform into a pale sickly blue, starting from the center of her body, expanding to her face. Her right hand clasped the arm of the chair freezing against it. Myrtle looked Aria in the eye and started to say something but no words escaped her lips before they, like the rest of her body, became entirely frozen.


	8. Chapter 7 She's Coming

_Chapter 7_

 _She's Coming_

"So when you say frozen…" Vanessa began the next morning but could not think of how to phrase her inquiry.

"Her body was ice cold," Aria answered quietly, looking down. "It actually hurt to touch her skin."

Aria and Vanessa used the time before Homeroom to discuss what happened with Adora. Everyone was supposed to be in Mr. Conner's room so they had Myrtle's old English room to themselves. Adora sat at the teacher's desk while Aria and Vanessa sat in the front two student desks.

Vanessa took in a breath before asking in a quivering tone, "So does that mean she's… dead?"

Aria could not bring herself to answer. She honestly had no idea. The feeling she had was so strange, as though she was not sure whether to mourn her fairy friend or not. She desperately hoped that since Myrtle seemed to be under some sort of enchantment there was a way to undo it.

Aria looked up to Adora, who answered, "I haven't seen this kind of magic before, honestly. I'll have to talk with Verna and see if she knows what kind it could be. What do you remember about the woman who cast the spell, Aria?"

"Well…" Aria looked up as she reflected, "everything about her was just… cold. I don't know how else to explain it. It's like I felt a sudden chill just by her presence."

Adora nodded and concluded, "I suppose this woman could also be the one causing the sudden weather change with her power."

Vanessa suddenly pounded her fist on her desk and declared, "Oh my god, it's the Snow Queen! That's who she is!" She glanced over at Aria and added, "That's a story, too, right? That's got to be it!"

Aria honestly could not think of anything else this woman could be and was surprised she did not figure it out sooner.

"Is that possible?" Aria asked Adora.

Adora shrugged. "I don't know of a woman with that title but I do know there are lands far north known as the Icelands. No one goes there because the cold is too intense but Greg speculates that the land itself contains magic."

"So just by traveling to these Icelands this woman gained ice magic?" Vanessa asked.

Adora nodded. "I believe so."

"So I guess that would make her, as you said, the Snow Queen," Aria concluded nodding towards Vanessa.

For a moment, the three of them sat quietly until Vanessa asked, "Okay, so you said the Snow Queen came looking for Sahrissa before she froze Myrtle but what would she possible want with the Evil Queen?"

"There's only one person who can answer that," Aria said, letting out a sigh, "Sahrissa."

xXx

Sahrissa rode into Evalius by horseback alone. She knew this kingdom had a new queen since that very queen requested her presence this day. Sahrissa hoped she was not being too bold coming alone, as last time she found herself in prison. She honestly did not know what to expect from the current Queen Myrtle.

She entered the palace and went through the maze as she had previously done.

"Someone seriously needs to redesign this place," Sahrissa muttered as she passed the final dim dungeon before arriving to the hall of portraits that led to the main throne room.

Sahrissa spotted the first guard in the room and demanded, "I want to speak with Queen Myrtle. Where is she?"

Without any voice, the guard merely looked down and grimly pointed towards the throne. Sahrissa pointed her eyes towards that throne. She found it covered by a sheer black veil. She slowly stepped towards the royal seat with her hand over her mouth. Each breath she took grew heavier as she neared the still queen.

"Myrtle?" Sahrissa gasped as she pulled down the veil, reveling Myrtle's stiff form. Her flesh appeared to have a pale blue tint to it. Sahrissa reached her hand out to touch Myrtle's cheek but withdrew it quickly. The contact almost felt as though it burned. "She did this to you… didn't she?"

Sahrissa gulped as she uttered those words. Only one person came to her mind that was capable of such a deed. The queen's head fogged with fear at the thought of this person being near by.

"She's back, Sahrissa."

Sahrissa swung her head around to see a familiar face behind her. "Tatia?"

Her stepsister had the same blonde ringlets Sahrissa remember. Her shielded eyes still prevented her from seeing as she had a walking stick positioned in front of her.

"She's back," Tatia repeated chillingly, "our mother, and she's coming for you."


	9. Chapter 8 A New Alliance

_Chapter 8_

 _A New Alliance_

Vanessa and Aria met up for lunch in Adora's room to discuss their plan further.

"Aria, seeking out Sahrissa is not the answer," Adora stated flatly.

Vanessa nodded. "Yeah, if the Evil Queen is what this Snow Queen wants then maybe it's best just to let them fight each other and stay out of it."

"And what about Myrtle?" Aria demanded, slamming her hand on the desk. "If Sahrissa kills the Snow Queen then how are we supposed to figure out a way to save her?"

"You should let the other fairies help Myrtle, Aria," Adora cut in. "I trust they're working on a way to help her."

Aria snorted. "Are they? Because it was not that long ago, Verna was willing to put Myrtle to death! Besides, if fairy's magic was actually able to help her then she'd probably be unfrozen by now."

"So what is you're plan, Aria?" Adora wondered, dreadfully. "Seeking out Sahrissa?"

"She's the only one that knows the Snow Queen," Aria insisted. "If anyone can answer any questions about her magic it would be Queen Sahrissa."

Adora folded her hands and dropped her head in between, letting out a sigh. "Aria, you really concern me sometimes. You're always so eager to dive into trouble. The other world can still be dangerous, even the good parts."

"Yeah, well my story's over in the good parts of that land so if I go to Sahrissa's kingdom then I should be fine," Aria debated.

"Aria, just because your story is over doesn't make you invisible," Adora cautioned. "I think you forget that sometimes."

Aria let out a huff but did not say anything. She knew there was no point in arguing. Adora remained here to take Myrtle's place in being the fairy that watched over the Princess of Galatia. She would never intentionally lead Aria anywhere she believed dangerous.

When lunch break was over, Aria verbally agreed not to venture off to Ventura. The moment they left the room Vanessa, however, asked, "We're still going there, aren't we?"

"We have to do what we can for Myrtle," Aria said, firmly, her eyes straight ahead. "Besides, I remember the conversation Sahrissa had with Myrtle. She didn't exactly seem to hate her. Maybe we can convince her to help us save her."

Vanessa shook her head, doubtful. "I'm not sure she'll be so eager to help."

"I suppose we can make a deal," Aria suggested, sounding apprehensive. "Sahrissa helps us revive Myrtle and then maybe we can help her out against the Snow Queen."

Vanessa was not too keen on the idea of negotiating with the Evil Queen, but she could not think of a way to talk Aria out of it. She recalled when Aria tearing back to the palace in Evalius when Argarion had Myrtle in there alone.

"So how are we going to get downtown?" Vanessa wondered aloud. "Neither of us have a car."

Aria lightly tapped her foot and stated, "That is really starting to be an inconvenience. You know, I tried talking my parents into letting me get a cheap car, but they don't even seem to trust me with one."

"Maybe that's because they're afraid of you driving off to a portal to another world whenever you want," Derek chimed in from behind them.

Aria turned around and huffed, "Well, I am old enough to cross worlds by myself. I mean, in that world sixteen is considered to be an adult and I'm seventeen so…"

As the three walked down the down for their next classes, Vanessa pointed out, "Wait, doesn't Derek have a car? Maybe he can take us?"

Aria turned and gazed at her boyfriend with hopeful eyes.

"Hang on," Derek said, reluctantly. "Why do you need to go there tonight anyway?"

"To try and save Myrtle," Aria said, determined. "I think that's a pretty good reason."

"Okay," Derek agreed with a nod but said, "but how exactly do you plan on saving Myrtle?"

Aria paused for a moment, looking down, and muttered quietly, "By striking a deal with Sahrissa."

"And there's the dangerous part of the plan," Derek grumbled, shooting a glance between the two girls. "You know it is very unlikely the Evil Queen will help us or even let us go when we show up at her palace."

"Well, we'll have to go in with a plan," Aria reasoned, not wanting to admit she had not even thought of one.

Derek raised his brow as though he already knew and pointed out, "You both seem to forget we have a friend who has magic that can help. Why would you go trying to bargain with the enemy when we can just ask Kendal?"

Aria and Vanessa exchanged glances. They both seemed to be thinking the same.

"I don't know, Myrtle did steal Kendal's throne," Vanessa pointed out. "That alone might make her not want to help out."

"She hasn't gone completely evil," Derek reminded them. "I'm sure if you try and reason with her, she'll come around. Anyway, its way safer then visiting a queen who actually is evil."

"I guess that makes sense," Aria agreed, desperately hoping he was right. "So do you think you can take us there after school today?"

Derek sighed reluctantly. "I suppose, only because I know you'll find a way there anyway if I don't."

"Excuse me, Miss Rosenberg?"

Aria turned around to see their Chemistry teacher approaching them.

"I was wondering if I could have a quick word with you in my classroom before the next period starts?" He glanced behind her. "You two can come along if you want."

The three of them followed Mr. Conner to his classroom. Aria could not imagine what he could want. Her grade for his class was merely average, nothing a teacher would concern themselves with. Derek managed a low A and she was pretty sure Vanessa was at least passing.

"Yes, Mr. Conner?" Aria asked quietly as the teacher shut the door behind him.

"You seem close with Myr… Ms. Malone," he began, looking down. "I mean, you know her outside of school, correct?"

"Yes," Aria admitted quietly. His worried tone made her dread where this conversation was going.

Mr. Conner made no haste to get to the point. "Do you know where she is now? I mean, one day she was just gone without any notice. I've tried to contact her but have not had any luck. Is she in some sort of trouble? What would make her just disappear? Do any of you know?"

Aria exchanged looks with Derek and Vanessa. None of them seemed to have any idea what to say to him.

Vanessa then let out a gasp. "Oh my god! I think I know what we can do!" When both Derek and Aria looked at her, baffled, she motioned to Aria and said, "Let me talk to you alone for a minute."

As they moved towards the door, Mr. Conner asked Derek, "What are they talking about?"

"God only knows," Derek muttered with an exasperated sigh.

Vanessa opened the door and the girls stepped outside the classroom and whispered face-to-face, as classmates passed by.

"True love's kiss!" Vanessa's whisper almost cracked a squeal. "What if that's the answer?"

Aria glanced into the classroom and wondered, "You think Mr. Conner could be Myrtle's true love?"

"Why not?" Vanessa persisted on. "Clearly, he's really concerned about her and we both know he likes her. Doesn't true love's kiss break curses?"

Aria sighed and nodded, willing to try just about anything at this point.

Vanessa looked up and thought aloud, "We just need to figure out a way to get Myrtle's body here…"

"Or we can take him to her," Aria suggested quietly.

Vanessa appeared apprehensive. "I don't know. Do you really think taking him to the other world is such a good idea? Besides, how will we convince him to go?"

"If he really is concerned about Myrtle, then he'll want to find her," Aria pointed out.

"Yeah, but how do you think he'll take it?" Vanessa debated.

Aria shrugged and pointed out, "We all experienced the shock of seeing a different world and got through it. He'll have to do the same."

Vanessa sighed. "I just hope you're right."

xXx

Unlike Mrs. Lewis, their Chemistry teacher did not faint the moment he entered the fairy tale dimension. Instead, he sat in the carriage dazed, trying to piece everything together.

"So… Ms. Malone was… born here?" he questioned, glancing out the window into the bright green meadows.

"Yes," Aria said, trying to keep her tone as calm and soothing as possible. "She's a… fairy."

His eyes widened. "A… fairy?"

"Yes," Aria answered again with a nod. "This land is different. That's magic so things like fairies and other mythical creatures exist."

Mr. Conner took in a breath trying to absorb this and asked, "Aren't fairies supposed to have wings or something to tip you off?"

Aria glanced across at Vanessa and Derek, who both shrugged.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure why," Aria admitted. "Maybe we can ask Myrtle after you hopefully help her."

"Help her from what?" he asked.

"Um…" Aria again looked across at her boyfriend and best friend, trying to think of how best to explain everything, "well, you see, I'm from here too."

"Aria!" Vanessa nudged her with her foot. "Are you sure it's a good idea to tell him everything?"

"Oh, so now we're going to start worrying about what he should and shouldn't know," Derek muttered with a huff.

Aria merely sighed and said to them, "We may as well tell him everything at this point." She turned back to their teacher and went on, "I was born here too. I'm a princess."

Mr. Conner looked into her eyes as though he was not sure whether or not to believe her. He slowly asked, "So, if you and Ms. Malone were born here what brought you to our land?"

"My parents wanted to hide me from… well, Myrtle. She was trying to kill me at the time." As his eyes widened, she quickly added, "But that was a while ago… or well, last year, but she's changed since then. She's good now."

As Mr. Conner just sat there, shock driven, Derek commented, "Well, this is going great. Maybe next week, the school can take a field trip here."

"Anyway…" Aria glared at him and lightly kicked his foot with hers, "Myrtle did manage to get me under a sleeping curse so I needed true love's kiss to wake up again."

"True love's kiss," Mr. Conner repeated in a daze and then glanced at Derek. "Does that mean you're from here too?"

Derek shook his head. "No, it's just because Aria grew up with us, it changed things a little bit."

"I see…" Mr. Conner mumbled leaning back. "Anyone else at Sheerwood from this… place?"

"Well, Ms. Fleming, the substitute now, is also a fairy. She's the good fairy that gave me the gift that kept me alive from Myrtle's curse," Aria pointed out, trying to think of others. "Former Principal Sherman is the Evil Queen from Snow White."

"Evil Queen?" he repeated in utter shock.

"Yes, but we don't really need to worry about her at the moment," Aria said as the carriage entered Evalius. "Oh, and Mr. Evans was the ruler here when he was evil."

"Mr. Evans is from here too?" Mr. Conner questioned and then muttered, "That explains why he doesn't know anything about History… Wait, did you say he was evil too?"

"He's good now too… I think," Aria said. "He's at least not doing anything evil now."

Mr. Conner briefly scratched his forehead. "So when fairy tale villains decide they don't want to be evil anymore, they get teaching jobs at Sheerwood?"

"Apparently," Derek muttered. "Maybe soon the Evil Queen will be our full time principal."

Once they entered the castle, Aria instructed that they all hold hands to keep them all from getting separated and lost in the maze. Fortunately, since Aria herself had been in the castle several times, she finally seemed to know the fastest way to the throne room. By the time they reached that room, Mr. Conner appeared as though he may vomit.

"So this thing about true loves kiss…" Mr. Conner started, "Is she… under a sleeping curse?"

"Well, it's a little different in her case," Aria said, trying to remain calm. "She's sort of… frozen."

The moment Mr. Conner's eyes fell upon Myrtle, his jaw dropped and his flesh lightened. She was right as Aria remembered her, still sitting on the throne with a pale blue tint. Aria was not sure if anyone tried to move her but if they did, clearly it did not work. Myrtle's right hand clutched the arm of the chair just as Aria remembered.

"So… what…" Mr. Conner fumbled his words.

"Kiss her," Aria said quietly. "Just kiss her and hopefully it will work."

Although he appeared hesitant, their teacher slowly stepped up to the throne and gently kissed the frozen fairy on her pale lips. He, however quickly jumped back.

"So cold," Mr. Conner gasped, touching his own lips.

Aria, however, did not pay him any attention as she gazed at Myrtle, desperately hoping to see her eyes flutter open or at least her skin return to its natural tones. Nothing happened.

"This is unreal…" their teacher croaked. "She's…"

The three of them never caught what Mr. Conner was going to say for at that moment his body lost consciousness.

As he fell to the ground Vanessa sighed and commented, "Well, he lasted longer than Mrs. Lewis."

"Now what?" Derek grumbled.

"We just need to…" Aria started, but before she could finish another voice interrupted her.

"Aria, what were you thinking?"

The three turned their heads to see Adora had appeared by the entrance to the throne room, wearing a scorn on her face.

"You may as well put a sign in front of that building that says, 'This place has a portal that leads to another world,' while you're at it!" Adora raged, storming over to where Mr. Conner had fallen. "You can't just bring anyone here! Do you understand that?"

Aria huffed and stated flatly, "I was just trying to help Myrtle. Someone has to do it!"

Adora met her eyes and sighed. "Aria, you have to understand. Us fairies are doing everything that we can to help Myrtle. It's just that this magic is too strong. And now, things are more complicated since Bellaire officially made their alliance with this Ice Queen…"

"What?" Both Derek and Vanessa gasped simultaneously.

Aria shook her head in disbelief. "No… Kendal wouldn't do that…"

"She did," Adora confirmed, sadly, "and she declared war on Ventura."

Aria looked at her friends to see they appeared just as horrified as she felt. A war was actually going to occur in these fairy tale lands. She had to act fast. Aria went with the first thing that came to mind.

As Adora knelt down besides Mr. Conner Aria slowly stepped back. When Vanessa and Derek looked at her, she tilted her head towards the exit and put her finger over her lips. Though her friends appeared hesitant, they still followed quietly. Once they entered the maze, the held hands and ran. Aria led them through the fasted way she remembered out.

"Adora is going to be so mad once she she's we're gone," Vanessa panted, clasping her right hand on her chest, "if she hasn't already…"

"We don't have time," Aria said, motioning towards the carriage. "We have to go now!"

"Where are we going?" Derek asked as he climbed in the carriage.

"To Ventura," Aria answered simply.


	10. Chapter 9 Mortal

_Chapter 9_

 _Mortal_

Vanessa sat quietly as the carriage pulled into the kingdom of Ventura. She could not recall a time when she questioned her best friend's motives more than this moment. She understood Myrtle meant a great deal to Aria, but riding into the kingdom of the Evil Queen just seemed straight up dangerous. Derek, unlike Vanessa, was not so silent on his concerns.

"You really don't think Kendal will be willing to help because I think it's a lot safer than where we are now," Derek pointed out.

"You heard what Adora said. Kendal officially declared allegiance with this Ice Queen," Aria reminded him, bitterly. "She won't help undo her magic."

"Does that mean this is it?" Vanessa wondered aloud. "We've lost her?"

Her best friend looked at her and consoled, "Nothing's final let. Maybe if we can convince Sahrissa to help us save Myrtle, we can also get her to put a stop to this war."

"Okay, I'm confused," Derek blurted out, scratching his head. "I thought Sahrissa was the enemy. I mean, last semester she was. Who's the enemy now, Kendal?"

While Vanessa's heart dropped, Aria shook her head firmly and answered, "No, the Ice Queen is the dangerous one. She clearly does not care who she harms on the way to getting to Sahrissa and we don't even know why she wants her in the first place."

Vanessa peered out the window as the carriage neared the palace. "Whatever the reason, I think Sahrissa is ready for her."

Once the carriage came to a stop, the three got out and saw that the entire gated castle was surrounded by lit torches, peeking from the top of the gate. The set of guards that stood by the entrance were carrying torches as well.

Aria walked up the guard closest to the door and took in a breath before saying, "I, Princess Aria of Galatia, am a friend to the Princess Snow White. May I speak with her or her stepmother, the Queen?"

The guards looked at one another before one opened the gate for the other to go inside. Moments later, he returned with Princess Snow White. The young princess rushed over to Aria and embraced her.

"Oh Aria, it's so good to see you," Snow White said. "It's so awful with this war going on. What brings you here? Will Galatia side with us or Bellaire?"

Vanessa had no idea which side Galatia would choose and based on the look on her best friend's face, she did not either.

"Galatia remains neutral as of now," Aria finally said, "though since the Ice Queen did freeze our lands, I doubt my people see her as a friend."

Snow White opened her mouth to say something else but before she could, her stepmother called from the open gate, "Snow White! Come here this instant!"

Obediently, Snow picked up her dress and pranced over to Sahrissa.

The Queen stroked her stepdaughter's head and said, calmly, "Snow, remember what I said about leaving the castle gates? You need to stay inside for your own safety."

"I was just talking to Aria," Snow protested. "After all, Galatia still hasn't picked a side so I thought maybe she could help…"

"I will speak with her," Sahrissa said, firmly. "Right now, I need you to go straight to your chambers."

Snow White nodded and waved goodbye to Aria before returning inside. Sahrissa then ordered her men behind her, "I want two guards with torches standing right outside her chambers at all times and two more outside her window."

Once they went in to follow their orders, Sahrissa stepped outside to speak with Aria. As she approached the princess, she gave a nervous glance to her surroundings. Vanessa imagined she did not leave the castle so often anymore.

"So Princess Aria," she began, "What brings you to my kingdom?"

"I want to make a deal," Aria answered, getting straight to the point. "I need to find a way to save Myrtle and clearly your kingdom needs help so perhaps if you help me I can have Galatia…"

"Your offer is gracious young Princess but there is nothing I can do for Myrtle," Sahrissa responded in a doleful sigh.

"Have you even tried?" Aria demanded.

Sahrissa shook her head. "You don't understand. The Ice Queen's magic is too strong and it only gets stronger. There is nothing we can do to fight against her or we would have by now. There is also no undoing of her magic."

Aria stepped forward and insisted. "There has to be something we can do. What's your plan, just to hide from her for the rest of your life?"

Sahrissa looked stumped for a moment. Clearly, she had not thought of this. Her face, however, whitened more as she gazed past Aria and her friends.

Vanessa heard cries and wails from the people in the kingdom as she turned her head and saw the cold woman in the flesh emerging towards them.

Sahrissa motioned her hands towards the gates and insisted in a panic, "Get inside now before she gets you too!"

Aria started in and Vanessa followed.

"Guards, torches," Sahrissa hollowed and dozens of guards emerged armed with fire. The Ice Queen struck but the flames challenged her aim. The fire surrounding the gates appeared to double their size.

Vanessa and Aria both ran inside the gate and turned around to see Derek was not behind them. He had slipped right in front of the gate on a patch of ice.

"I'm going to go make sure he gets in," Aria declared, darting back out. "Wait here."

Vanessa ran up towards the gate and watched as Aria helped Derek to his feet. Behind them, the Ice Queen raised her hand to strike. Aria turned her head and saw her. The moment the ice shot from her fingers, Aria shoved Derek forward inside the gate. The ice, however hit her in the back.

"Aria!" Vanessa rushed outside to her best friend's side. Derek took the other.

Aria tried to say something but the freezing went to fast. The next thing Vanessa knew, her best friend was stone cold, unable to move.


	11. Chapter 10 Reacquainted

_Chapter 10_

 _Reacquainted_

Vanessa sat against the wall, with her legs spread, staring blankly at her best friend's frozen body. Derek stood on the other side, gazing out the window. The two did not speak for about an hour. Vanessa did not even see Derek turn around to look at Aria. She herself, was not sure what to think. If she cried, she felt that would mean Aria was gone for good. Vanessa refused to let herself cry.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Vanessa barely turned her head to see the queen enter the room. Vanessa had been wondering when this queen would kick her and Derek out of the castle. That seemed inevitable.

"Um…" Queen Sahrissa began, hesitantly. "The king and queen of Galatia have requested that their daughter's body be returned to their kingdom."

 _Her body? She's not dead!_ Vanessa wanted to scream, but instead she merely nodded and asked quietly, "What's going to happen to us?"

"If you wish to return home, I can provide you transportation to the lake," Sahrissa suggested. "I would suggest you keep torches around you at all times for safety. Of course, you can stay here as long as you need…"

"My queen," a guard entered the room and announced, "Galatia has officially declared war on this Ice Queen. The king asks if you wish to form an alliance."

"We can't fight her." Sahrissa looked at him and sighed dolefully. "Tell the guards anyone who wants to join the fight is welcome to."

Derek turned around with a stoic expression. "I'm going to fight."

Vanessa gasped. "Have you lost your mind? You're likely end up frozen too! I think we should just go home and get help. Maybe the fairies…"

"What good are the fairies going to do?" Derek demanded, hotheadedly. "Have you not seen Myrtle lately?"

Vanessa walked over towards him. "And you think you can defeat her by fighting? Derek, you're not thinking clearly. We need a plan."

Derek pounded his fist to the wall and glanced at Aria. "Who's usually the one that comes up with the rescue plans?"

Vanessa sighed sadly, but then had a sudden thought. "Well, if not Aria then what about Kendal?"

Derek snorted. "Kendal already declared an alliance with the Ice Queen. She's not going to help us against her."

"That was before the Ice Queen attacked Aria!" Vanessa shouted back. "She'll see things differently now. I know she will!"

"Have you forgotten Kendal was on the way to becoming the next Evil Queen?" He glanced at Sahrissa and added, awkwardly, "No offense."

"She hasn't done anything evil yet," Vanessa argued.

Derek flung his hands up. "We still don't even know if she really killed that Becket guy!"

"She didn't," Sahrissa interjected before Vanessa could say anything. "I was the one that killed Becket." She looked down and explained more quietly, "I was hoping you all would think Kendal did it so…"

Vanessa actually felt a sudden hope from what the queen said. "See? We haven't completely lost her. I'm going to Bellaire."

Derek shrugged. "If you want to waste your time that's fine. I'm going to Galatia."

Derek mumbled a goodbye to Vanessa before taking his leave. She did not want to think about whether she would ever see him again anytime soon. Vanessa knew she had to try and focus for Aria's sake.

Sahrissa strolled over towards the window and gazed outside. Vanessa cautiously stepped towards her and asked, "You were willing to provide me transportation back to the lake. Is it possible you can get me to Bellaire instead?"

The queen turned to face her but did not answer.

Vanessa held her hands up and said quickly, "I promise I'm not trying to form some alliance against you. I just want to save my friend."

Sahrissa looked at her and sighed. "I'll give you transportation to Bellaire if you desire, but I would not count on your friend, Kendal, to fight against an enemy of mine."

"She will," Vanessa insured her. "She cares about Aria more than she hates you. I'm sure of that."

Sahrissa nodded and said. "Our carriages all now have torches attached to the outside. Make sure your driver keeps them lit the entire journey. Also, do not step foot outside the carriage until you are safely inside the kingdom. If the Ice Queen herself happens to be there, I suggest you do your best in fooling her to thinking you're there to support Queen Kendal."

"Okay." Vanessa took all this in and then looked up at the queen. "Thank you. I really appreciate this. Why are you being so nice all of the sudden?"

"I'm not." The queen turned back to face the window and let out a hefty breath. "I just don't believe there is anything anyone can do to stop my stepmo… the Ice Queen from getting what she wants."

"What is that?" Vanessa asked, taking a moment to consider what Sahrissa almost called this woman.

Sahrissa turned and met her eyes, answering simply, "Me."

xXx

Kendal sat in a small room in the castle, she used for private meetings, with Tatia. The maiden sat with her hands properly folded on her lap. Her frozen eyes gazed blankly passed Kendal. A faint crying occurred in the background.

"So what exactly does the Ice Queen want me to do?" Kendal asked her.

The crying grew louder.

"My mother needs to get close to Sahrissa," Tatia explained, "but Sahrissa always seems to suspect when she is coming and has her defenses prepared. If you can get her close enough to Sahrissa, then she can finish her off."

The wailing grew even louder. Kendal found it difficult to think of how. It's not as though Sahrissa would let her anywhere near her presence.

"I can imagine it's rather hard to think with that incessant wailing going on," Tatia commented, taking a sip of her tea.

"I'm sorry," Kendal said. "It's the princess. I think she misses her father."

"She's just like her mother," Tatia pointed out. "When she was that age, she would never stop crying either. Sometimes it would go on throughout the night. Rather bothersome, really."

Kendal looked at her for a moment but was not sure what to say. How could someone speak so coldly of her own sister who passed away?

She instead, got up and said, "I'm going to try to see if I can calm her. I'll be right back."

Kendal went into the princess's room and found the little infant wailing in her cradle. Her face had turned bright red. Kendal scooped her up.

"There, there," she said, gently, rocking the baby. "I know you miss your father but I promise I'll find a way to wake him up soon."

As the sobbing lessoned, Kendal set Princess Annabelle back in the cradle. She lifted her hand and formed a white ball, letting it float above the princess. She playfully reached for it.

"You see?" Kendal said with a smile. "It's snow, not ice. I even made it so it's not cold."

The princess batted the snowball with both hands and giggled. Kendal smiled and stroked her forehead.

"You're skin's so fair, almost like snow," Kendal commented and then gasped a heavy breath as a sharp realization struck her. She knew how stories in this fairy tale world worked. It hit her just who this princess could be the next Snow White, and that would make her…

Kendal ran out of the room. She felt her breaths tightening by each moment.

Tatia had stepped out in the hallway and asked, "Are you coming back?"

"In a moment," Kendal panted, not even bothering to stop. "I just need some air."

"It's really cold out there," Tatia called, but Kendal barely heard her.

Once Kendal got outside, she tore her cloak off. The cold did not bother her the least. Kendal leaned against the wall, still breathing heavily. Her dress felt as though it were suffocating her. Despite the cold weather, Kendal felt as though she were starting to sweat.

"My queen." One of her counselors approached her and said, "You have a visitor."

"No," Kendal stammered in short breaths, shaking her head. "No visitors… Not now."

"She claims it's urgent," he insisted.

"I said not…" Kendal tried to say, but she felt her chest tightening. "Just …get rid…"

"Kendal!"

Kendal's short breaths stopped for a moment as she saw the visitor was Vanessa. Though she did not appear happy, Kendal did not care. She rushed over to give her friend a hug.

"I'm so glad you're here," Kendal said, as she pulled out of the embrace.

"Were you having a panic attack?" Vanessa asked, looking concerned.

Kendal waved her hand, trying to appear perfectly calm. "What? No, of course not. I'm fine." She sighed realizing she was not all that convincing and added in a whisper, "I'll tell you more inside, when we're alone."

Vanessa nodded but did not say anything.

"So why did you come here?" Kendal asked, looking past her. "Where's Aria?"

Vanessa sighed, her head falling down. "Aria is actually the reason I came." She looked up and met her friend's eyes. "Kendal, something terrible has happened."


	12. Chapter 11 To Locate a Fairy

_Chapter 11_

 _To Locate a Fairy_

That following Monday, Kendal returned with Vanessa to school. Vanessa really did not feel this was the right place to be now but Kendal insisted they do all their planning in this world.

"So, the charm I am about to use on the school and outside it that will make everyone forget you were ever gone, Kendal. All you need to do is act as though everything is normal," Adora explained that morning just outside Sheerwood High. "The only thing is my spell will not affect anyone who has crossed over between worlds."

"Okay, so that would exclude Walter, Ian, Mr. Evans, Aria's parents…" Kendal shot Vanessa a sharp look before adding, "my _mother_."

Vanessa shrugged and looked down, mumbling, "It was Aria's idea."

"It doesn't matter now," Kendal grumbled and then asked Adora, "That's it, right?"

"Oh, and Mr. Conner," Vanessa recalled.

"Why the hell does Mr. Conner know about the other world?" Kendal demanded.

Vanessa sighed. "We thought maybe since he liked Myrtle, true love's kiss might unfreeze her."

"Seriously, they've known each other less than a year and haven't even gone out on one date," Kendal pointed out.

"Well, Derek and Aria weren't going out when he kissed her and it still worked," Vanessa argued.

"That's different. In Aria's story that kiss was supposed to save her. Besides, true love's kiss is for sleeping curses, not frozen people."

Vanessa huffed. "Sorry, but you weren't here to tell us we were doing it wrong."

Kendal sighed. "I'm here now and we will figure out how to fix this. It won't be easy but there has to be a way."

Vanessa muttered, just soft enough so Kendal couldn't hear her, "Well, looks like the boss is back." She then turned to Adora and asked, "So what's the official story for Aria and Derek?"

"They both went on one of those foreign exchange programs. Aria went to Czechoslovakia, and Derek, Yemen."

Vanessa frowned. "Those aren't typical exchange countries. Usually it's like Spain or France. I don't most people even know where those places are. I know I don't."

"Most people have actually glanced at a world map, Vanessa," Kendal grumbled.

Vanessa rolled her eyes but could not help but smile. It was nice to have her friend back even if they didn't always get along.

Adora sighed. "I just went with what looked interesting on that internet page. Part of me just wishes I could get her parents to believe the same."

Without any words, Vanessa merely dropped her head down. She could not even imagine how Aria's parents reacted to the news of their daughter's attack, especially not knowing if she could be saved.

Kendal went ahead to the classroom. Vanessa walked in the school quietly after Adora finished her spell. She watched as her classmates chatted amongst each other so carefree. Vanessa wished she could feel that too. In a way, life seemed simpler before they discovered the other world.

"Hey, Vanessa."

Vanessa looked down the hall and saw Ian had called her.

"Hey," Vanessa answered quietly, feeling dreadful.

Ian walked over to her but it took him a moment to gather up what he wanted to say. Finally, he began with, "So… I know Derek and Aria aren't really on foreign exchange programs. What really happened?"

Vanessa looked down as she slowly began, "Last time we were there, Aria was attacked by this Ice Queen."

Ian tried to meet her eyes and asked, "When you say attacked, you mean…"

"She's frozen," Vanessa clarified, "like what happened to Myrtle."

"Does that mean she's… she's de…"

"No!" Vanessa shook her head quickly before he could even finish the word. "She's just… well, we're going to find a way to save her."

"Right… of course," Ian muttered in attempt to sound convincing and then asked, "What about Derek?"

"Well, Galatia declared war on the Ice Queen and any kingdoms supporting her, so Derek volunteered to fight in their army."

Ian's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Vanessa muttered, not surprised by his reaction. "He obviously wasn't thinking clearly so…"

They both remained silent for a moment. Vanessa took in a breath and asked quietly, "So have you talked to Kendal since she got back."

Ian shook his head. "No. She's the one that ended things so if she wants to talk to me then…"

"Well, you're the one that left her with the ultimatum," Vanessa reminded him. "Ultimatums always end in break-ups. They just have bad karma."

"I guess," Ian murmured. "But she still made her decision."

"She's back now," Vanessa pointed out, "and I guarantee you after we get Aria back Kendal won't leave for that world again."

"Yeah, if we get Aria back," Ian muttered, sounding doubtful.

Vanessa held her head down but said firmly, "We will get Aria back."

xXx

For lunch that day, Vanessa met up with Kendal and Walter in the library. Kendal had a large sheet of white paper so she could map everything out about the different stories.

"So Sahrissa was initially supposed to be Cinderella in her story back when she lived in Bellaire," Kendal analyzed, marking Sahrissa's name and then drawing an arrow, "then when Myrtle posed as Sahrissa's Fairy Godmother, she sent Sahrissa to Ventura, where she married the king and became the Evil Queen for Snow White."

"Yes," Vanessa agreed, recalling what Aria had figured out.

"And since Cinderella did not marry the Prince of Bellaire, her stepsister did instead," Kendal went on. "That's interesting."

Walter shrugged. "I guess when Myrtle got involved with the story, it messed a lot of things up."

"Maybe…" Kendal began but then suggested, "I actually think Sahrissa's story was doomed even before Myrtle came along."

Vanessa looked at her curiously. "How so?"

Kendal pointed her pen where she jotted down Sahrissa's family members. "Her stepmother. Yes, she was wicked in the story, Cinderella, but there's no version where she wants Cinderella dead. Something went wrong the moment Sahrissa's stepmother became the Snow Queen, or well Ice Queen."

"Okay, well the Ice Queen is who we're fighting against now so isn't it more important to focus on her?" Vanessa asked.

"Actually, I think it's important to know all the details," Kendal went on. "Since Sahrissa was originally supposed to be Cinderella that confirms she was once good and was supposed to remain good. Since we know that, we also know that there's a chance she can still be good."

Vanessa raised her eyebrow and glanced at Walter, commenting, "I'm surprised you of all people came to that conclusion."

"Yeah, I surprised myself too," Kendal muttered and then added more vocally, "but Sahrissa is the Ice Queen's enemy and if we're going to defeat the Ice Queen we'll need Sahrissa on our side."

"Okay," Vanessa uttered with a doubtful breath, "but how do you think we can sway her to the good side?"

"Maybe she just needs a little guidance," Walter suggested with a shrug.

Kendal slapped her hand on the table. "Right, that's all she needs is guidance! Who better to get that from than a Fairy Godmother?"

Vanessa still did not appear convinced. "Yeah, but in case you've forgotten, Myrtle's not exactly in condition to give guidance now."

"I'm not talking about Myrtle," Kendal informed you. "You said Myrtle only posed as the Fairy Godmother for Sahrissa so that means there must have been a fairy that was supposed to be the actual Fairy Godmother in her story. We just need to find her and maybe she can convince Sahrissa to help us. We'll cross worlds today after school."

xXx

Before the three of them left for downtown, they asked Adora if she knew who the Fairy Godmother was that was originally supposed to be for Sahrissa. Adora recalled a fairy named Shayla that worked in the region that contained Bellaire.

Naturally the first place they went to when they crossed worlds was Greg's cottage. The wizard always seemed to have the magical solution to help them. However, he was hardly ever home.

"Why is he never here?" Kendal grumbled as they stepped foot inside.

Walter sighed. "At least we can still come in."

They walked into his office where he kept all his spell books.

"So how are we going to find this Shayla?" Vanessa asked.

Kendal pulled out one of Greg's maps and laid it across the table. She then glanced at the stack of books and commented, "There must be some sort of locater spell we can use to find her."

Walter pulled out one of Greg's spell books from off the shelf and began to look through it. Fortunately the back had an index so it saved Walter some time.

"According to this all you have to do is place your hand on the map and think of who you want to find," Walter analyzed, still scanning the pages. "Anyone with magic should be able to perform the spell."

"Okay." Kendal placed her hand over the map and closed her eyes. A spark burst from her finger and burned a part of the map. "I guess that's where she is. That's just outside Bellaire."

Vanessa studied the map for a moment. "So every time you use a locater spell it leaves a burn mark on that map."

Kendal looked at all the other burn spots and sighed. "I suppose so. Hopefully Greg won't notice one more. We need to go now."

Kendal motioned for them to stand next to her.

Vanessa raised her eyebrow. "Are you going to try to magically transport us there?"

"I've been able to get myself places," Kendal pointed out. "There's no reason I can't get us all somewhere. Besides, we don't have time to waste."

Walter and Vanessa stood on each side of her and Kendal waved her arms swiftly. They appeared in front of what appeared to be a tall tower of straw. Kendal glanced to her left and saw Walter still with her but Vanessa was gone.

"Where's Vanessa?" Walter demanded.

"I don't know!" Kendal panicked putting her hand to her head. "With any luck she's still at Greg's."

The two looked about their surroundings. Kendal wondered aloud, "Where's Shayla? I know this area. She should be here."

"Let's just go back to Greg's and see if Vanessa is there," Walter insisted.

Kendal shook her head. "Clearly I'm not doing well with spells I haven't used very much. I think it's better we find Shayla first."

Walter pointed at the straw tower. "What is that?"

Kendal looked at it curiously. "I don't know. It doesn't look natural does it?"

The two continued to stare at it and saw a spot appear to push forward.

"Something's in there," Walter said, taking a step back.

Kendal, on the other hand, stepped forward, curiously. "That must be why whatever this thing is was built, to keep something in. I wonder what."

This time when the straw wall pushed towards them, Kendal heard a voice, a very familiar voice.

"Kendal! Walter!" Vanessa cried out. "Where am I?"

Kendal gasped in realization of what she had done. She had accidently transported Vanessa within the straw and trapped her there.


	13. Chapter 12 Trial and Error

_Chapter 12_

 _Trial and Error_

"Vanessa!" Kendal rushed over to the straw and placed her hands on it. She could feel her friend pounding it from the inside. "It's okay. I'm going to get you out of there."

Kendal stepped back and held her hands up.

"You're not going to blow that thing up, are you?" Walter asked, nervously.

Kendal shook her head, confidently. "No. I'm only going to singe an opening so she can push through."

Kendal blocked every other thought out of her mind so she could stay focused as she raised both hands and pointed directly at the straw. A tiny flame scorched the giant straw. Kendal slowly guided the flame making a rectangular shape as tall as Vanessa. The little fire vanished the moment it touched the ground.

"Okay Vanessa," Kendal called out to her. "You should be able to push through now."

The straw burst forward and a shaken Vanessa popped out. She ran straight to Walter to hug him.

"Are you okay?" Kendal asked, stepping towards them.

Instead of answering, Vanessa shook her head and pointed towards the now leaning straw tower, her finger shaking. "There's… there's someone else in there."

Kendal looked back to see any sign of movement. She slowly stepped towards the straw tower.

"Kendal, what are you doing?" Vanessa called in panic.

Kendal briefly turned her head. "Just stay back." She peered back into the opening she forged. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

A shadow began to emerge out. Kendal stepped back and raised her hands for defenses. However, once the figure came out it turned out to be a woman around Kendal's height.

"My, my, it sure is bright out here," the woman said, covering her eyes.

Kendal stepped closer to her. "Are you Shayla?"

She nodded and presumed to dust her arms off. "Can't really see how dirty I really am since I lived in absolute darkness."

"How did you survive in there?" Vanessa asked her.

The curly-haired fairy looked back at the straw. "Well, my home is in there so I was pretty much living normally, only without being able to see very well. I used magic to provide for my other needs."

Walter raised his eyebrow. "If you were still able to do magic, how come you couldn't use it to escape?"

"Well, my magic is not as strong as the woman's who trapped me in here," Shayla stated. "She used dark magic…" She eyed Kendal and added, "You must have dark magic too as you were able to free me."

Kendal sighed. "Well, yes it comes from a dark source but I try to use it for good now."

Shayla nodded. "Well, very good then. That's better than I can say for the fairy that did this to me. Now, do you know where I can find Myrtle?"

"You really don't need to worry about Myrtle right now," Kendal told her. "She's not really in a position where she can harm you now, or anyone. We actually do need your help though."

"Well, I am a fairy godmother," Shayla informed, promptly. "What I do is offer guidance so if that's what you need, then I'm here to help."

Kendal glanced back at Walter and Vanessa before saying, "Well, it's not me that needs your guidance. We were actually hoping you might go to Queen Sahrissa…"

"Sahrissa is queen of Bellaire now?" Shayla clapped her hands together. "I am joyous she found a way to the prince without my help."

"Well…" Kendal began delicately. "She's actually not queen of Bellaire. Instead, it's Ventura."

Shayla appeared baffled by this. "But her true love is Prince Victor of Bellaire. Why on earth would Sahrissa go to Ventura?"

Kendal gasped as she had a sudden realization. If King Victor was meant to be Sahrissa's true love as this fairy says then perhaps Sahrissa's kiss will be able to awaken the king. Kendal made a mental note to lead the former Evil Queen back to the palace of Bellaire once this mess was taken care of.

Shayla raised her eyebrow at Kendal. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Kendal said, quickly. "I just thought of something else, that's all. Anyway, Myrtle led Sahrissa to Ventura and now she's the current Evil Queen there."

Shayla put her hand over her mouth. "Oh dear. Myrtle's done worse than I could have imagined."

"Well yeah," Kendal agreed, shortly, but claimed, "but we can still fix what she did. We'll just need your help."

Shayla stepped back and held her hands up. "Oh no, this is way out of my hands. I must go find the other fairies."

The fairy sprouted wings and reduced her size before flying away. Within moments, she began a spec in the sky before none of them could even see her at all.

Vanessa threw her hands in the air. "Did she seriously just take off? What are we supposed to do now? That completely ruined our plan!"

Kendal huffed. "Trial and error. We just need a new plan."

xXx

On the Friday of that same week, Kendal and Vanessa sat next to each other at the beginning of History class and continued to discuss their next move. They sat in the back of the class and whispered so no one else would pay attention to their conversation. There was only a couple minutes until the bell was scheduled to ring, beginning class.

"I still can't believe Sahrissa just ignored my messages insisting we meet one-on-one," Kendal grumbled.

Vanessa sighed and pointed out, "Kendal, no offense, but as your friend I can't stand it when you tell me what to do. You can't really expect to boss your enemies around."

"It wasn't an order," Kendal argued. "It was just a request."

"You know that's pretty much the same thing," Vanessa said.

Kendal shook her head. "No, it's not. A request is…"

"Oh my god, Kendal!" Karin's voice interjected as she strutted towards the back. "You do realize you haven't updated your prom posters in over two weeks."

Kendal rolled her eyes. "Karin, now is really not a good time."

"It's like you don't even care anymore," Karin ranted on, flinging her hand at Vanessa. "You're getting to be as lazy as her. If you stop trying, people won't vote for you, you know."

"Karin," Kendal said, sharply. "I really don't have time for this conversation now."

"Fine," Karin replied, promptly, "if you're not going to take this seriously, I'm just going to vote for Lacey."

As Karin turned to prance off, Kendal retorted, "Fine, you do that. You know what, I'm going to vote for Lacey too."

Once Karin was gone, Vanessa whispered, "Are you really going to vote for Lacey?"

Kendal shrugged. "Why not? You've made it quite clear you don't want to be Prom Queen, and I'm not conceited enough to vote for myself."

Vanessa raised her eyebrow. "You're not?"

Kendal rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not. Besides, Prom is like the least significant thing going on in our lives right now."

The class bell rang and Mr. Evans moved up to the white board to begin his lesson.

Kendal leaned closer to Vanessa and lowered her voice. "We need to come up with a plan to get to Sahrissa."

Vanessa shot a glance towards the front of the classroom before asking, "Are you sure we should be talking about this now?"

"Just whisper," Kendal insisted, "He won't pay attention to us. Anyway, we need to learn as much as we can about this Ice Queen in order to figure out how to defeat her."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Vanessa wondered aloud.

Kendal huffed. "Our best bet is Sahrissa. We just need to figure out a way to get her on our side."

Vanessa started, "I don't think Sahrissa will…"

"Ladies," Mr. Evans' voice intervened. "Do teachers normally permit their students to chat during the lecture?"

Kendal took a moment to study his expression. When most teachers at their school ask that sort of question, it was a sarcastic remark. Mr. Evans, on the other hand, actually appeared confused on this matter.

Kendal finally answered, "As long as we're quiet."

Mr. Evans stared at her intently for another moment and then nodded. "Very well then. Carry on."

That moment, the rest of the class seemed to pick up for the fact they were now allowed to talk. More and more students leaned over and whispered to their friends. Mr. Evans, however, took no notice and continued his lesson as he attempted to map out the countries on the white board, holding the textbook to his nose.

"Anyway," Kendal continued in a tone barely above a whisper, "We just need to figure out a way to get to Sahrissa so we can talk to her."

Vanessa sighed. "It's not going to be easy getting in her kingdom. It really looked like she had her guard up last time."

"We'll just have to think of something," Kendal contemplated aloud. "Something that will get her attention. Maybe…"

She was, however, interrupted by a cackling sound from the classroom speakers, followed by Mrs. Hall's voice from the school office, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention? I want to announce that Principal Whiteman has taken a temporary leave. Principal Sherman is returning to replace…"

"Don't announce that right now," Sahrissa's voice hissed over the speakers.

"Oh, sorry…"

Vanessa and Kendal looked at one another and gasped.

"She's here," Vanessa whispered. "She's actually here."

Kendal nodded, pondering for a moment and then stood up.

"What are you doing?" Vanessa asked her.

"I'm going to go talk to her," Kendal said, simply.

Vanessa's jaw dropped. "Right now?"

"Yes," Kendal answered her firmly. "It's better if I catch her off guard."

With her mind made up, Kendal marched for the classroom door.

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Mr. Evans inquired, "Miss Lewis, where do you think you're going?"

Kendal barely turned her head as she replied, "To see the principal."

"In the middle of my class?"

"It's the principal," Kendal pressed as though it should be clear.

Mr. Evans shrugged. "Very well then."

As Kendal paced down the hall, she tried to think of what to expect from her coming interaction with the Evil Queen. She knew one thing she was certain of, she was grateful she still had her powers, just in case.


	14. Chapter 13 There and

_Chapter 13_

 _There and…_

When Kendal entered the school's open office, she strutted right past Mrs. Hall's desk and headed for the principal's private office.

"Oh Miss Lewis," Mrs. Hall called out. "Principal Sherman said she did not want to see anyone…"

 _Well that's too bad,_ Kendal thought, ignoring her. Instead, she burst open the principal's door and marched right in.

Sahrissa, who was straightening a portrait of a basket of apples on the wall, jumped at the sound of the door and then sighed. "I should have known simply ordering no students allowed in my office would stop you."

"We need to talk," Kendal uttered, intently, shutting the door behind her.

The queen posing as principal briefly smoothed her black suit and skirt and sat down in her leather chair, motioning her hand. "Please, have a seat."

Kendal did not move.

"Or stand if you prefer," Sahrissa muttered, awkwardly.

Kendal could not help but smirk slightly. She knew just what she was doing. The more uncomfortable she made the queen, the more of an advantage she had in this interaction.

"Anyway," Sahrissa continued, "I understand I have wronged you last time I was here…"

"You mean when you killed me," Kendal reminded her, gritting.

The queen sighed, looking down for a moment. "Yes, well, technically it was a sleeping curse. Any curse can be broken, as you well know. Anyway, I have an offer for you now."

Kendal remained quiet. She was honestly curious of where the queen was going with this.

The queen went on, "If you allow me to live peacefully amongst this world, I'll make the rest of your years in this school as you want it."

"What do you mean?" Kendal asked her.

Sahrissa lifted her hand. "I can restore your position as Head Cheerleader. I can assure your victory for this Prom Queen. Or perhaps, if you want to put your leadership skills to better use, I could make you Class President. Personally, I think that would be best suited for you."

"You know what I want?" Kendal said, quietly, placing her hands on the desk. "I want my friend back."

The queen sighed and folded her hands. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for the Princess Aria."

"There has to be a way," Kendal argued, shaking her head. "Any curse can be undone, right?"

"This isn't an ordinary curse," Sahrissa informed her. "It's her magic. There is no way to undo it."

"How do you know?" Kendal challenged her.

"Because I've tried before, countless times," Sahrissa said, quietly. "I even tried just recently on Myrtle after she froze her. I know my magic is strong, but not strong enough to undo hers."

Kendal huffed and finally took a seat directly across from Sahrissa. She had no intention of leaving this office until she got the queen to agree to at least try.

"So is this your plan then?" Kendal asked her, softly, "To just hide out here in this world and hope that she never finds you?"

"Yes," Sahrissa answered simply.

"And what are you going to do when she does find you?" Kendal demanded.

Sahrissa sighed and leaned back in her chair. "That's very unlikely."

Kendal raised her eyebrow. "Is it? Myrtle discovered this world when she was trying to find Aria. Lord Argarion also found this world when he was in search of a new bride and you found this world when you were after me."

"I followed you, secretly, and watched you disappear in that lake," Sahrissa explained. "It is likely Myrtle and Argarion did the same. I, however, made certain I was not followed."

"There are other ways the Ice Queen could find out about the portal," Kendal pointed out. "Anyone who knows about it could tip her off. Argarion learned about the portal from Edmund so…"

"And where is this Edmund now?" Sahrissa challenged her.

Kendal looked down and answered quietly, "He's dead."

"I see," Sahrissa concluded. "So at this time, it's likely only the fairies know about the portal and I doubt any of them will lead my stepmother to it."

Kendal found her tone rising. "Fine then, while you hide out here she's is going to use her powers on innocent people while she's trying to find you! Is that what you want?"

The queen let out a heavy breath. "She was already doing that anyway while I was there. There's nothing I can do to stop her. Besides, hopefully, when she realizes she can't find me, she'll stop."

"I think we both know that won't happen anytime soon," Kendal uttered softly and leaned back in her chair, taking a moment to think. "You seem to forget I have magic too now. What if we were to use our powers together to stop her?"

Sahrissa looked at her for a moment but then shook her head. "It won't work."

"How do you know?"

"I just know how her power works," Sahrissa insisted. "It is very unlikely even together our powers can defeat her and I'm not willing to risk my life to try."

Kendal took in a breath before saying, "What if I had something to offer you in return for helping me?"

Sahrissa looked at her curiously and tapped her fingers lightly on her desk. "Interesting. What would you have to offer me?"

"I can give you your happily ever after," Kendal said, "the one you would have had if Myrtle had not been your Fairy Godmother."

For a moment, Sahrissa merely gawked at her, words unable to form. She then finally managed to get out, "How?"

Kendal leaned in closer to the queen as she said, "I know you once lived in Bellaire as a girl. You have two stepsisters and a very wicked stepmother. Had Myrtle not intervened, you would have gone to the ball and met your prince…"

"Yes, I know all that," Sahrissa intervened with the wave of her hand. "Myrtle did explain to me exactly what I would be giving up if I went with her."

Kendal shook her head and went on, "That doesn't change the fact that the prince was and still is your true love. That prince is now king and he is under a sleeping curse, a curse only you can wake him up from. If you agree to help me defeat the Ice Queen, I'll take directly to him so you can reawaken him with true love's kiss."

For a moment, the queen did not respond, only looking at Kendal intently. She, however, sighed and said, "You did the king a favor by putting him to sleep. At least now, he has nothing to fear."

Kendal huffed in frustration. "Seriously? Is there no one there right now that you care for?"

The queen paused for a moment and sighed. "Ever since my father passed away there was only one person that ever showed me kindness, my stepsister, Jillian."

Kendal recalled her to be the late queen of Bellaire.

"But she's gone now," Sahrissa went on in a doleful breath.

"That's it?" Kendal questioned. "There's been no one else after her?"

"Well…" Sahrissa paused to let out a breath. "When you held me prisoner in Bellaire, my stepdaughter, Snow, surprised me by coming to my rescue. I guess she is the only other one."

"And you're just going to leave her there?" Kendal pressed on. "If the Ice Queen knows she's close to you, she'll likely go after Snow."

Sahrissa merely snorted. "My stepmother loathed me so intensely all these years I doubt she could even fathom the idea of a stepmother actually caring for her stepdaughter."

Kendal leaned even closer and challenged, "Are you willing to bank Snow's life on that theory."

Sahrissa paused for a moment to ponder and then shook her head. "No. You know what, you're right. I can't just leave her there."

Kendal leaned back in her chair and let out a breath, relieved she was finally getting through to the queen.

"I'll bring her here," Sahrissa concluded with determination.

Kendal sat up straighter. "What?"

"Yes!" The queen's tone picked up more enthusiasm. "Snow can live here with me. I can protect her here."

Kendal sighed and shook her head. "She won't fit in here. She's not from this world."

"Sure she will," Sahrissa insisted with the wave of her hand. "After all, Princess Aria seemed to fit in here just fine. Why not Snow?"

"Aria grew up here," Kendal explained. "She didn't even know about the other world until she was sixteen."

"No matter, I can use my magic to help her. Also, you and your friends can help her adjust," Sahrissa continued. When Kendal did not immediately reply, the queen looked her in the eye and added, "I know I may have wronged you greatly but Snow is innocent of that. She is the one thing left I have in my life that is good. Will you please help her?"

Kendal let out a breath and nodded. "Yes, I'll help her. When are you planning to get her?"

"Today," Sahrissa answered firmly.

"Fine," Kendal agreed. "But I'm coming with you."

xXx

Vanessa and Walter took their lunch to the English classroom to eat with Adora.

"So Kendal went to talk with the Evil Queen," Adora said, after Vanessa told her.

"Yes," Vanessa confirmed. "She just left in the middle of Argarion's class."

"Well, I doubt she missed much," Walter commented. "It seems like most of his lessons are him trying to figure out what happened rather than him actually teaching us what happened."

Vanessa shrugged. "At least its an easy grade."

"Says the girl who has the teacher's book with all the answers," Walter muttered.

"Anyway," Adora interjected, eying Vanessa. "Have you heard from Kendal since she went to talk to the queen."

Vanessa shook her head. "No. I haven't seen her since, but no doubt she's aggressively trying to tell the Evil Queen what to do next…"

Walter let out a nervous chuckle. "You don't thing Kendal is actually trying to boss around the Evil Queen, do you?"

Vanessa retorted with a hollow laugh, "It's Kendal. I'm pretty sure if she met the Pope, she would try to tell him what to do."

It was just that moment, the classroom door busted open and Kendal herself appeared. She quickly closed it again right behind her.

"Alright," Kendal began marching towards them, "It's been decided. Sahrissa and I are traveling to the other world this afternoon."

Vanessa eyed Walter with a nonverbal 'I told you so' before asking her friend, "Was that your decision or hers?"

Kendal sighed. "Technically hers but it took a bit of swaying on my part. Anyway, she thinks we're going there just to get Snow White, but I was hoping to get her to see she's leaving more behind while we're there."

"When you say 'get Snow White' do you mean you're bringing her here, to our world?" Walter asked her.

Kendal nodded. "Yes, and I've agreed that we'll help Snow White adjust to living in this world."

"Wait," Vanessa intervened, with her hand up. "So right now, the Evil Queen actually cares about Snow White?"

Kendal let out a breath and nodded. "It came as a surprise to me to, but I'll use whatever I can to get Sahrissa to see we're on the same side."

"Right. I guess that makes sense," Vanessa agreed before asking next, "So when is Sahrissa bringing Snow here?"

"Today," Kendal answered her. "Right now, actually and I'm going with her."

Vanessa exchanged started glances with Walter and Adora and then asked Kendal, "You mean right this second, in the middle of the school day."

Kendal shrugged. "Yes. I guess one of the perks of being the school principal and having magic means you can do whatever you want."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Adora asked. "I mean the constant moving back and forth between worlds is bound to spur up serious consequences."

Walter muttered, "I'm surprised we haven't seen more of those consequences on this side already."

Kendal huffed and lifted her arms up. "It's not like I'm going to be able to talk Sahrissa out of it. If I want to get her on my side I'm just going to have to go along with her for now."

"So do you want us to go with you?" Walter asked.

"It's up to you," Kendal answered, stepping towards the door. "But if you want to go we need to leave now."

"Wait," Vanessa interjected with her hand up. "You're letting us decide if we want to go?"

Kendal rolled her eyes. "Yes Vanessa, believe it or not I do not try to control every decision every person makes."

Walter then asked, "This trip is just to bring Snow White to this world, correct, nothing more?"

"Right," Kendal confirmed. "We should be back later this afternoon."

"I think I'm just going to stay here then," Walter decided.

"I'll go," Vanessa said with a shrug. "I don't mind missing half a day of classes."

"Great," Kendal said, "but we need to leave right now."

Vanessa stood up and then leaned over to give Walter a kiss. "See you later."

"Call me when you get back, okay?" Walter said, as she followed Kendal to the door.

Vanessa turned around and smiled to him. "Will do."

xXx

When they arrived at the other world, Queen Sahrissa, Kendal, and Vanessa traveled by carriage to Ventura. Sahrissa was afraid if she used magic to transport them to her castle, the Ice Queen would be able to track them and know her target was in the lands.

Vanessa sat next to Kendal, who sat across from the Queen. Considering these two queens were recently enemies, Vanessa already knew not to expect a pleasant ride.

"So what are you going to say to the people when you get back?" Kendal asked, looking straight at Sahrissa.

Sahrissa shrugged. "I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to get Snow and leave."

"You have to say something," Kendal pressed, leaning forward. "You are there leader after all. The kingdom is your responsibility."

"I've done all I can for them by putting up eternal flames along the outer gates around the whole kingdom," the queen replied. "There is nothing more I can do."

"But still, you're their queen," Kendal argued, pounding her right fist in her other hand. "The people look to you for hope in times like this. You have to give them something."

"I don't believe I have to do anything," Sahrissa retorted with a huff and then looked to Vanessa. "Good lord, is your friend always this bossy?"

Vanessa began an involuntary nod but then quickly shook her head when she realized her friend was looking.

Kendal rolled her eyes and replied, "I'm not trying to be bossy. I just know I'm right."

Sahrissa's eyes scanned her from head to toe. "You think you know more about being a queen than I do? You've been queen for what, a couple months, give or take?"

Kendal leaned back and crossed her arms. "Yeah but I managed to become queen of two kingdoms in that time, whereas you just have one, which you are currently running away from I might add."

"Wow," Vanessa muttered under her breath, hardly able to believe Kendal just went there. Then again, it was not all that surprising.

Vanessa slowly leaned her head out the window and looked up at the carriage driver. She could feel the heat from the lit torches brush against her cheeks.

"Are we there yet?" Vanessa asked him.

He briefly glanced at her and replied, "My Lady, we've only been traveling just a few moments. We won't arrive until the sun reaches the tallest trees over there.

Vanessa looked up at the sky and huffed. The sun had hardly moved from the middle of the sky. She sat back down in the carriage hoping the bickering was done but found she was far wrong.

"I suppose I should know not to bring my enemies along with me," Sahrissa grumbled.

"Can't you see? I'm not your enemy anymore," Kendal pointed out and then went on to explain, "It's just like with Aria and Myrtle. Once Myrtle's sleeping curse on Aria was broken and they finished playing out the parts of the story, they no longer had a reason to be enemies. It's the same with us. You cursed me. I was awoken by true love's kiss. Now the story is over. There's no reason for us to be enemies anymore."

"Well, Aria didn't declare war on Myrtle and then imprison her later," Sahrissa reminded her.

Kendal shook her head and said, "Yeah but you were rescued because of your true love, and right now, I'm giving you the chance to be reunited with him."

"It doesn't matter now," the queen mumbled and then glanced at Kendal. "You sure do act like you know everything. You really believe peace between us is because of something as simple as our story ending."

Kendal once again leaned forward and asked, "Well, tell me the truth. Do you feel any desire to kill me right now?"

Sahrissa shrugged and replied, "If it means I'll get some peace and quiet the rest of this journey."

Vanessa had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling.

Kendal rolled her eyes. "Seriously."

"No, I suppose not," Sahrissa said in a sigh. "But only because I have much bigger problems now."

The rest of the journey felt as though it were about five hours to Vanessa. The moment the carriage came to a halt, she practically jumped out.

Queen Sahrissa called for her stepdaughter after the castle doors closed. Snow ran to her stepmother's arms, appearing quite distressed. The young princess clearly thought she would never see the queen again.

Sahrissa put her arm around Snow and guided her to the corner of the room and began to whisper to her. Shortly after, the princess scurried away.

The Queen then made her way back to where Kendal and Vanessa stood and declared, "Snow will be ready to go within moments." Her eyes moved directly to Kendal and added more softly, "I will do as you suggest and talk to the people before I leave but Snow needs to get to safety as soon as possible so I'm sending her away now. I would feel better about it if at least one of you accompanied her."

Kendal nodded and looked at Vanessa. "Do you mind going ahead with Snow?"

"You mean I don't have to ride with you two on the way back to the lake?" Vanessa asked, eying both queens. "Yeah, I'll go."

xXx

Queen Sahrissa offered her people a brief speech about safety and always keeping torches lit outside their homes. Once she finished, she and Kendal left for the lake in carriage. This journey was much quieter than the last. Kendal decided now was not the time to push Sahrissa too far or it might backfire.

"You did a good thing," Kendal told her. "Talking to the people, I mean. It shows them you care and gives them hope."

Sahrissa eyed her, clearly thrown off by the compliment. She sighed and muttered, "I hope my stepmother doesn't harm the people. If my late husband knew the trouble that followed me, he likely would have never married me in the first place."

"You're protecting his daughter," Kendal reminded her. "I'm sure that's what he would have wanted."

The queen raised her brow. "You're being a lot friendlier all of the sudden."

Kendal rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why people always act so surprised when I'm nice."

Sahrissa chuckled and commented. "I guess that's the same for me too sometimes."

Kendal smiled and almost laughed, but at that moment, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

"Are we there?" Sahrissa asked, peering out the right side of the carriage.

Kendal opened the door to the left. "There's the lake. We can walk to it from here."

The Queen gasped and she leapt out of the carriage. Kendal followed to see where Sahrissa had fled.

"No!" Sahrissa cried out.

The Queen knelt beside Princess Snow's frozen body, lying on the grass. Kendal started to walk towards them but then caught sight of the carriage. It was missing one wheel and had icicles stabbed from the top. The driver was frozen, still gripping the reins.

"Vanessa," Kendal breathed as she neared the carriage with dread.

The carriage door was already half broken off. Kendal yanked it off and threw it aside. Her heart stopped for a moment, as she saw nothing. She then noticed a cloak draped on the ground. Kendal pulled it off and found her friend, thankfully, warm in flesh.

"Kendal!" Vanessa threw her arms around her the very moment she lifted her head. "It was awful! When the carriage stopped, Snow heard a voice calling for her. I tried to stop her but she was in some sort of trance. I felt so cold. I didn't know what to do but hide."

"It's okay," Kendal consoled still holding her. "You're safe now and we're about to be home." She pulled Vanessa up and gripped her shoulders. "Now, I need you to go straight to the lake. I promise I'll be right behind you."

Vanessa nodded and went straight for the magic lake. Kendal took in a breath and went for the queen, who was still knelt beside her stepdaughter.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Sahrissa said, a tear streaming down her cheek.

"Sahrissa," Kendal began, gently placing her hand on the queen's shoulder. "I know it's hard, but we need to leave…"

"Kendal!" Vanessa's voice cracked from beside the lake.

"What is it, Vanessa?" Kendal asked, starting towards her.

Vanessa slowly lifted her shaking finger. "The lake…"

Kendal glanced at the lake and gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth.

"It's frozen," she breathed. "The whole lake… which means…"

Vanessa dreadfully finished for her, "We have no way of going home."


	15. Chapter 14 Renegade

_Chapter 14_

 _Renegade_

The queen returned to Ventura with Kendal and Vanessa, bringing along the young princess's frozen body. The people of the kingdom wore black to mourn the lost princess. Five days later seven small men, Kendal presumed to be the seven dwarves, arrived with what they called an enchanted glass coffin. They claimed it would preserve the body from time to come.

Over the past few days, Kendal hardly saw much of the queen. She figured it was best for now to give Sahrissa some time to herself. Hopefully then, she'll agree on her own terms to assist Kendal in defeating the Ice Queen. In the meantime, Kendal used her magic to summon some of Greg's books to learn as much as she could about the Icelands and it's queen.

As her eyes scanned the pages, Kendal heard a driving knock on the door to the private room she was in.

"Queen Kendal, I have urgent news," a male tone insisted.

"Come in," Kendal answered.

The skinny reporter opened the door and took a brief bow before going on, "The Ice Queen has taken over Bellaire and declared war against Ventura. We must prepare our defenses immediately!"

Kendal stood up and asked, "What does Queen Sahrissa want to do?"

The young man shrugged. "She won't say. The queen has not even come out of her chambers since the princess has fallen. I'm afraid the people have no choice but to turn to you."

Kendal sighed. "I'll try to talk to Sahrissa myself. You'll have her too. For now, are there any other kingdoms that might come to our aid?"

"We have already contacted Galatia," he answered. "They are sending troops as we speak."

"Good. I'll send word to Evalius too," Kendal added. "The people there are much healthier and stronger now. Perhaps some of them will be willing to help fight."

The man frowned. "Forgive me, but I heard you were no longer queen there. Would the people listen to you?"

"They might. They don't exactly have a lot of options given their current queen's state," Kendal said with a doleful sigh.

Kendal then dismissed the man and decided to go find the queen and see if she could reason with her. There were several guards standing in the hallway, holding torches. The only other source of light came from the setting sun, peeking through the windows. Kendal stopped for a moment to glance outside at the orange sky. She wished she could feel the as warm as the sky appeared but all Kendal felt was coldness.

"Do you think it looks the same?"

Kendal turned to her left and saw Vanessa leaning across an entrance that led to a balcony above the garden.

"Vanessa," Kendal gasped. "I almost didn't see her there."

Vanessa ignored her startle and asked again, "In Nebraska, do you think the sunset looks the same. Is Walter looking at the same sun we are, or our parents…"

As her voice trailed off, Kendal sighed. "I don't know. I never really gave it much thought."

"Walter would probably know," Vanessa went on sadly. "Do you think we'll ever be able to see them again?"

"We will," Kendal said, trying to sound firm. "But first we have to defeat the Ice Queen."

Vanessa actually turned her head to look at her friend. "How? From what we know, she sounds pretty undefeatable."

Kendal shook her head. "No one is undefeatable. Don't let what Sahrissa says get to you. There has to be a way."

"Then how?" Vanessa demanded. "I thought, in this world, good was supposed to win easily."

"I guess things just got a little complicated with the stories being messed up and all," Kendal replied softly.

Vanessa's tone began to crack. "More than complicated. This place is supposed to be about fairy tales and happy endings. Now it's a complete nightmare! I just want to go home!"

Kendal stepped closer and could see her friend's eyes start to water, and placed her hand on Vanessa's shoulder.

"God I just want to see Walter again and my parents… and even the teachers," Vanessa started to sob. Kendal pulled her into a hug. "I even miss school. I'd rather be there than here! I swear if we make it back I'll try harder. I won't slack off on homework or studying ever again… Oh, and Aria…"

"Hey, hey," Kendal soothed, grabbing both Vanessa's shoulders. "Look at me. We're going to get through this. Think about it, we've been through situations like this before. You guys told me about when you went to rescue me from Evalius, you thought we weren't going to make it but we did. And last year in the Temple of Nemesis, we thought there was no way for both of us to escape but we did. This time won't be any different, I promise. You will see Aria, Walter and everyone else again."

Vanessa slowly nodded and started to wipe her tears. "You're right. There always has been a way, hasn't there?"

Kendal smiled and nodded. "Yes, coming from someone who's actually been pronounced dead, I'm telling you, anything is possible."

Vanessa briefly chuckled and commented, "I wish I could be as strong as you."

"You are," Kendal insisted. "I've seen that strength in you before. You just need to find it again. Everybody feels weak at times."

Vanessa raised her brow and grinned. "Even you?"

Kendal smirked and held up her two fingers. "Yes, but just a very little bit every now and then."

The two girls both laughed, but only briefly.

Vanessa's head turned back towards the outside and she huffed. "Well, whenever we do get out of here, I don't think I'm ever coming back."

Kendal sighed. "Yeah, I doubt I will either."

They stood in silence for just a few passing moments before Kendal said, "Well, I think you should get some rest now. I know Galatia is sending men and they should be here tomorrow. We'll need to discuss plans with them."

"Do you think we'll see Derek?" Vanessa asked her.

"We should," Kendal confirmed. "You told me he was intending to join Galatia's soldiers. At least that's someone we know."

"Yeah, that's good," Vanessa agreed, as she gave Kendal a quick hug. "Well, goodnight. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Kendal echoed.

As Kendal continued on to Sahrissa's chambers, she hoped she was right about everything she just said. There had to be a way out of this. Hopefully together, she and the former Evil Queen can defeat this new evil.

Kendal approached Sahrissa's chambers and knocked. "Sahrissa? It's me Kendal. Can I come in?"

As she received no answer, Kendal turned her head and saw guards distantly walking down the hall. She found it odd no one was standing directly outside these chambers. Kendal pushed the doors open and marched in. She found the queen throwing tied sheets out her window.

"Sahrissa?"

The queen turned her head and looked at her, while she tied her cloak around her shoulders.

"Are you seriously running away?" Kendal gasped.

"Kendal," Sahrissa began quietly, "Turn back around, close the doors, and walk away."

Kendal slammed the doors aggressively. "How can you do this?"

The queen shook her head sadly. "There is no other way. Hopefully, once the Ice Queen comes and realizes I'm not here, she'll leave the people alone…"

"And what of you, Sahrissa," Kendal demanded. "Are you going to spend the rest of your life as a runaway?"

Sahrissa stepped closer to her. "Perhaps I didn't make this clear before. There is no other way!"

"You don't know that!" Kendal stammered back. "You're not even willing to try now. Instead, you're just abandoning your people!"

Sahrissa threw up her arms. "What do you expect me to do, stay here and save everyone from this evil? I'm a villain too in case you forgot!"

"You weren't always meant to be a villain," Kendal pointed out more quietly.

Sahrissa shook her head. "No, I know both stories. In one I'm a silly maiden who loses her shoe at the ball and marries the prince once the shoe is returned and fits her…" Her eyes began to slightly tear as she continues, "In the other I am a jealous queen who poisons her own stepdaughter to rid of her and be the Fairest in the Lands. In neither of those tales, and I meant to be a hero, who saves her kingdom, Kendal!"

Kendal stepped closer to her. "But you know how it works now. You can be whatever you want, Sahrissa, but first you have to believe in yourself. Besides, you don't have to do this alone. We can fight her together. If we do, we will find a way to defeat her."

Sahrissa wiped a tear from her cheek. "I wish I could feel your inspiration, Kendal, truly I do, but I'm afraid, it's been to long for me." She took a step closer to the window and pulled up her hood. "I named you Queen in my place. Whatever you decide to do, you'll have the people of Ventura behind you, Kendal."

"Sahrissa, wait…"

"I'm sorry, but that is all I can do for you."

With that, the queen leapt out the window.

"No!"

Kendal ran to the opening and watched Sahrissa climb down the rope made from sheets. Before she knew it, the queen had vanished into the bushes. Kendal stared off into the night sky, wishing she could feel the same confidence she felt just moments ago. Now, for the first time since the war began, she felt truly alone.


	16. Chapter 15 Preparations

_Chapter 15_

 _Preparations_

Vanessa awoke in much more spirits then she felt the previous night. It seemed quite odd how crying seemed to drain those negative feelings out. She hopped out of bed and quickly put on a simple blue dress she found in the closet of the guest room she stayed in.

As she rapidly pranced down the hallway the only heat Vanessa could feel was from the torches she passed by. The very moment she made her way into the throne room, she already heard the arrival of Galatia's troops announced.

Vanessa's heart skipped as the doors opened and the troops from Galatia marched in. She eyed everyone eagerly searching for Derek, but most men kept their dark silver helmets on.

"Hey stranger," a voice came from behind her.

Vanessa turned around and saw Derek in rustic armor, holding in helmet under his arm. Without hesitation, she ran up to him and flung her arms around his neck. Derek patted her on the back.

"It's good to see you again," Derek said with a warm smile.

"Yeah, you too." Vanessa stepped back and scanned his armor. "You look so…"

"Like a knight?" Derek suggested for her.

Vanessa smiled. "Yeah, I guess you do. How does it feel?"

"It was a little strange at first," Derek admitted, "but I think I'm getting the hang of it now. I just keep reminding myself what I'm fighting for."

"Right," Vanessa muttered quietly, looking down at her feet.

Derek glanced up at the currently vacant throne and asked, "So how's this whole two-queens-one-kingdom thing working?"

Vanessa shrugged and let out a sigh. "I don't know. I haven't even seen Sahrissa since we returned after Snow White's attack."

"I heard about that," Derek remarked. "The queen seems to actually care about Snow White now, right?"

Vanessa nodded.

"Well, hopefully now she'll be willing to help us," Derek pointed out.

"That's what Kendal thinks," Vanessa confirmed. "But I don't know if they've even spoken on the matter yet."

Derek let out a deep sigh before saying, "Well, you were right."

Vanessa looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Kendal does care about Aria more than she hates the queen," Derek said, softly. "I guess I shouldn't have doubted her."

Vanessa opens her mouth to say something but before she had the chance, the trumpets sang followed by an announcer.

"Knights of Galatia," The announcer began in a prompt voice. "The queen welcomes you to Ventura. Our ladies-in-waiting will assure that you find comfortable lodgings. You are permitted to use our armory and training rooms to prepare for upcoming battles. The queen herself will address you all directly this evening."

As the announced stepped back, Derek wondered aloud, "Which queen is he talking about?"

Vanessa could only shrug. "I don't know. Maybe we should go find Kendal and find out exactly what's going on."

xXx

She shot two arrows. One hit an arm and the other a leg. Neither was what she intended.

Kendal huffed and stared at the broad human drawing with the two arrows shot through. Even though it had no face drawn, she still felt as though it were mocking her. Out of frustration, Kendal snatched two daggers from the wall and thrashed them at the drawing. The right dagger split the arrow while the left hit a foot above the other arrow.

While letting out a sigh, Kendal walked over to the wall and grabbed a handful of arrows. She wondered if Sahrissa ever used this private armory. It included every kind of medieval weapon from axes to bows and arrows to swords ranging from pocket size to almost as tall as Kendal herself. Perhaps the queen last came in here when she was planning her war on Kendal.

There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Kendal demanded.

"It's Vanessa. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Kendal answered. "Just be sure to close the door behind you."

The moment she stepped in, Kendal observed her friend was not alone.

"Derek," Kendal breathed. "What are you…"

"I came with the Galatian knights," he replied before she could finish. He then shot an awkward glance to Vanessa. "So am I supposed to kneel or curtsy…"

Kendal could not help but giggle at that. "That's not necessary. It's good to see you again, Derek."

Vanessa stepped around to have a look at the room. "Are you training in here?"

Kendal sighed. "Well, it started off as a way to unleash my frustrations but I guess now that's what I'm doing."

"So you're planning to actually fight?" Derek asked, appearing rather impressed.

Kendal merely nodded.

"What about Sahrissa," Vanessa wondered aloud. "Is she going to fight too?"

Looking down, Kendal did not rush to answer.

"Kendal, what's going on?" Vanessa pressed, taking a step closer to her. "Why haven't we seen Sahrissa since we came back."

Kendal drew a dagger and thrashed it at the wall before answering, "Sahrissa ran away last night."

Derek and Vanessa both gasped.

"I guess you can't expect former evil queens to become heroes," Kendal groaned.

"I'm sure she's terrified," Vanessa sympathized with a shrug.

Kendal found her tone almost reach to the point of shouting. "Yeah well, I'm scared too, but you don't see me just dropping everything and running away! Somebody has to stay here for the people!"

Vanessa glanced at Derek and offered a tiny shrug. "Well, maybe that's why you'd be a better queen for these people anyway."

"Queen," Kendal repeated as though the word was poison. "I am seventeen years old and in High School! The only kind of queen I should be is Prom Queen! I just can't do this! It's too much."

"Hey, you're not alone," Vanessa tried to console. "You've got two kingdoms backing you now."

Kendal grabbed more arrows from the wall, letting out a huff. She picked up her bow from the ground and demanded, "But why would they follow me? Especially this kingdom! They hardly even know anything about me."

With a grunt, Kendal positioned her arrow within the bow and shot. The point pierced the heart of the drawing.

"Wow," Vanessa muttered in awe. "It seems like at least you got this part down."

Kendal shook her head, slamming the bow on the ground. "No. I wasn't going for the heart. I can't kill the Ice Queen. We have to take her alive so we can figure out how to undo her magic."

Derek walked behind Kendal and picked up the bow. He placed it in her hand, but did not let go.

"Hey don't worry, I trained for this," he said to her. "If I can do it, there's no reason you can't."

With Derek's guidance, Kendal prepared for another shot, this time focusing her aim lower.

"You know as queen, you can just command the armies," Derek pointed out, with his hands still over hers. "You don't have to actually fight."

"I know," Kendal muttered, but briefly shook her head.

"Yeah, I know. That's not you," Derek went on, as both their hands pulled the bow back. "You're the kind of person who wants to be directly involved, not in the sidelines." Derek removed his hands right as she shot the arrow. "That's what makes you a good leader. That's why these people are following you."

Vanessa observed where the arrow hit and commented, "Kneecap. That should slow her down."

Kendal opened her mouth but before she had the chance to say anything, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Kendal called.

The door opened and a messenger emerged, taking a brief bow. "Queen Kendal, Verna, Head of the Sisterhood of the Fairies, is here. She wishes to speak with you."

"What would she want?" Vanessa wondered aloud.

Kendal sighed. "I heard she recently sentenced Sahrissa and me to die. Let's just hope its something different."

 ** _A/N: Sorry for the late update. I got busy last weekend and it slipped my mind. I'll try to have and update during the week and next weekend too. Hope you all are enjoying!_**


	17. Chapter 16 Sahrissa's Mirror

_Chapter 16_

 _Sahrissa's Mirror_

Kendal took in a deep breath as she was escorted to the private meeting room where Verna awaited her. She briefly turned her head back, grateful to have Derek and Vanessa following her. To be honest, Kendal had no idea what to expect from the Head Fairy.

When the three were shown in the room, they saw Verna stood alone by a table.

"Queen Kendal," Verna began, stiffly. "Thank you for meeting with me. Please, have a seat if you like."

"I think I'll stand," Kendal muttered in response before asking, "What's this all about?"

Verna folded her hands as she explained, "I want to discuss with you the being your people in Ventura and those of Galatia will be battling. The best way I can think to go about this is fire. After, Sahrissa hid here with torches surrounding the gates and that seemed to keep her away. Fire may be able to weaken this Ice Queen but I'm sure if it will be enough to destroy her."

Kendal frowned and crossed her arms. "So you've never come across someone with this kind of power before?"

Verna shook her head as she strolled around the table. "No, but I am certain her magic comes from the Icelands."

"What do you know about the Icelands?" Kendal asked, taking a step closer to her.

"These lands are far north," Verna informed her. "As you may have heard, the Icelands are enchanted. There is a reason so few know of this. Anyone who would travel to the Icelands would die instantly because the cold is so intense."

Kendal tilted her head and pointed out, "But when the Ice Queen went there she didn't die. Instead she got powers?"

"Yes," Verna confirmed. "Only those who have gone cold-hearted will find power there."

For a moment the room remained silent as everyone tried to absorb this in.

Vanessa then asked, "What would make the Ice Queen so cold-hearted in the first place? Is it because of Sahrissa somehow?"

Kendal turned around to look at her before responding, "I once tried asking her why she hated Sahrissa so much, but the only answer she gave was that her mere existence bothered her."

"Yes," Verna said with a nod, "With her magic that is likely all she can feel right now. She's been too consumed for too long. It is likely we'll never know just what made her the way she is. Right now, the best we can do is focus on defeating her. I have enchanted all arrows our soldiers use to flame once they are shot."

"That's good," Kendal agreed with a nod. "I've been practicing with them."

"She's gotten pretty good, too," Derek added.

For a moment, Verna merely gawked at Kendal. When she blinked she demanded, "What do you mean? You are not going to be on the battlefield."

Kendal briefly glanced at her friends before answering, "Uh, yes I am. As queen, don't you think I should be?"

Verna shook her head. "Absolutely not. It's too dangerous. As queen, you need to be protected when the fighting takes place."

"What good will I be if I'm hiding out while these people are risking their lives?" Kendal demanded. "My place is with the people. If I were not there with them, then I would not be the queen they deserve."

Verna folded her arms. "And what if something were to happen to you? Then who would lead this kingdom? With Sahrissa vanished, Snow White frozen, and you without an heir, there is no one else."

"I won't be here forever," Kendal argued. "Once the portal is unfrozen and this is all over we're going home."

She turned her head to look at Derek and Vanessa, who both appeared anxious on this. Vanessa seemed to want to walk out of this world right this moment.

Verna, however, let her eyes fall and shook her head. "My sisters and I have done everything we can to unfreeze the lake but nothing has worked. It is very likely the three of you will have to accept your lives in this world."

xXx

Later that evening, Kendal rummaged around in Sahrissa's chambers, looking for any sort of clue of her past. Even though she doubted she would find anything useful, at this time, Kendal still felt the need to try. She grew frustrated with how easily it seemed everyone was willing to give up on defeating the Ice Queen. First, Sahrissa runs away, and now even the Head Fairy pretty much stated there was no way to undo her power.

Kendal's thoughts drifted to Aria and all the other frozen victims. If what Verna implied turned out to be true, then they were really all gone, forever. Kendal felt her head grow lighter and her palms sweat as she thought of this.

In attempt to ease her frustration, Kendal sat down on a chair close to the wall and rested her elbows on the table. She placed her hands over her face. After she felt a cold draft down her throat, Kendal began to cough. She looked up and saw smoke clouding the mirror. This must be the Magic Mirror.

Kendal rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Oh, what the hell? Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

The smoke began to twirl as the mirror answered, _You are indeed fair, Queen Kendal. However, one does now surpass you._

"Who," Kendal asked in a sigh, thinking it would be rather ironic if the mirror said Sahrissa.

The mirror spoke, _The one who I have deemed is Fairest in the Lands now lies right here in this kingdom. It is the Princess Snow White._

It took her a moment to process before it hit her.

"Snow White," Kendal repeated in a breath.

 _I am sorry, my Queen. As long as Snow White lives, she is the Fairest._

Kendal stood up. "No, this is great. Snow White is the fairest as it should be!"

She them immediately rushed out of the room to the guest chambers where Vanessa stayed. The moment she arrived, Kendal knocked on the door.

"Vanessa, it's me. Are you still awake?"

"Yeah, come in," Vanessa called back.

When Kendal walked in, she saw her friend sitting up in bed, lighting a candle.

"I need to tell you something," Kendal began, sitting down on the side of her bed. "I found Sahrissa's mirror and talked to it. I asked it who the fairest in the lands was."

Vanessa merely gawked at her. "You actually asked the mirror if you were fairest still?"

Kendal rolled her eyes. "No that's not why I did it. Anyway, you know what it said?"

Vanessa shook her head, not following.

Kendal grabbed her friend's hand and answered, "It said Snow White! It told me as long as she lives, she is the Fairest in all the Lands."

"What?" Vanessa muttered rubbing her forehead.

"Vanessa, don't you know what this means?" Kendal went on, squeezing her hand more. "It means Snow White for sure is alive. If she's alive then she can still be saved. This means…"

Vanessa finished for her, "Aria can too."


	18. Chapter 17 Fall of Queens

_Chapter 17_

 _Fall of Queens_

There was a piercing chill in the air as the sun peeked closer towards the middle of the sky. It was reported in Ventura that Bellaire troops were moving in towards this kingdom, led by the Ice Queen herself. Kendal planned to have her men encounter the troops outside the kingdom gates when they arrived. Although, as a precaution, the majority of the citizens, mostly consisting of elders, woman, and children, went to Evalius for a temporary stay to remain safe.

At this time, Kendal, Vanessa and Derek sat up on the top balcony, waiting. The cool breeze that brushed against Kendal's cheeks felt surreal. Today, more than any day, this world merely felt like a dream.

Vanessa sighed and wondered aloud, "Do you remember a couple years ago when our biggest worry was not forgetting our homework?"

Kendal could not help but giggle. "Maybe for you."

"You know what I mean," Vanessa said with a laugh.

Derek let out a sigh, leaning over the balcony. "Those were the days. All I had to worry about was school and football."

"Sometimes I wish we never came here," Vanessa admitted, quietly. "Then we wouldn't be in this mess now."

"You do have a point," Derek agreed. "Our ordinary life was better before."

Kendal, however shook her head, looking at Vanessa. "I don't think so. If it weren't for all that's happened the past couple years, we might not be friends right now." She shot a glance at Derek, and added, "Also, you and Aria might never have started dating in the first place."

"No," Derek said, shaking his head. "I know I liked her before. I just wasn't sure how to deal with my feelings back then."

"So it's official. Walter and I were right when we called it," Vanessa chimed in with a grin. She then looked to Kendal. "Who knows. We might have eventually worked it out. I mean, we were friends for a pretty long time before."

Kendal let out a hollow chuckle. "I doubt it. Do you remember what I was like then? If I stayed that way, I'd probably be stressing about winning Prom Queen right now."

Vanessa laughed. "Yeah, fair point. I guess everything really does happen for a reason."

The three sat in silence for just a moment before the horns started blowing, followed by an announcement that the enemies were close.

Kendal drew in a breath that pierced her throat. "I guess its time."

They went inside and saw all the troops marching through the halls.

"We have to win," Vanessa insisted. "I mean we're in _good_ land. Doesn't good always win here?"

Kendal did not have it in her heart to show her doubt. "Of course. We will take this ice bitch down once and for all."

Vanessa gave a small-relieved smile before starting down the hall. Derek started to follow but Kendal grabbed his arm.

"What is it?" Derek asked her.

"I need you to promise me something," Kendal said in a hush tone.

Derek tilted his head, confused, but answered, "Of course. What is it?"

Kendal took in a breath and then said, "If anything happens to me out there, I need you to promise you do whatever it takes to get Vanessa away from here and safe."

Derek shook his head. "Nothing's going to happen to you. I'll be right by your side."

"No," Kendal insisted, holding his arm. "I am going to take the Ice Queen head on and I need you to keep Vanessa away from her. Please, promise me."

Derek remained quiet.

"It's what Aria would want," Kendal added.

Derek reluctantly nodded but said, "For the record, she'd want me to keep you safe too."

"I know," Kendal said, feeling a tear form. "But you know I have to do this. It's the only chance we have of winning."

Derek took her hand and nodded again. "You will win. Like Vanessa said, good always wins, and you're not just good. You're the best. You're the strongest and most willing to fight for what's right."

Kendal felt the tear drip down her cheek. "Thank you, Derek. I just hope I can protect everyone today."

xXx

Derek stood back to back with Vanessa, battling off attackers. Bellaire men would come and every time he fought them off, he ended it with knocking the handle of his sword against the attacker's helmet just hard enough to knock that person unconscious.

"You know, it's not really fair," Derek commented over his shoulder to Vanessa. "They are trying to kill us and we are trying not to kill them. That doesn't really make sense."

Vanessa huffed. "Those were Kendal's orders. I guess these people were once her people too for a brief time."

"Yeah well, too bad her former citizens aren't showing any of us the same courtesy," Derek grumbled as another attacker emerged swinging his sword. This time, Derek kicked below, knocking him off his feet. Once the attacked landed on the his back, Derek stomped his foot onto his head, knocking him unconscious.

"You really think you could actually kill someone?" Vanessa questioned in scattered breaths, as she kicked her own attacker in the stomach.

Derek felt a wet coldness on his cheek and looked up. "Are you kidding me? It has to snow right now?"

"Of course it is," Vanessa said, looking around. "She's making it happen."

Derek gulped. "She could bury us all alive in snow, couldn't she?"

Vanessa looked up to the sky, as the snow continued to fall. "Let's just hope Kendal defeats her first."

"We have another problem," Derek commented.

The snow began to fall with more force. Through this blizzard Derek could see a group of men, heading straight for them. Vanessa turned her head and her eyes widened. They both exchanged glances, thinking the same. Two against what looked like fifteen were not good odds.

"What do we do?" Vanessa asked in a panicked breath.

Derek gripped his sword. "You run, and I'll hold them off best I can."

Vanessa shook her head, holding up her own sword. "No. I'm staying with you."

Just as this fierce group of Bellaire guards approached, wearing cocky grins and strong armor, a gush of wind blasted against them knocking them all to the ground. Derek and Vanessa turned to see Kendal had done the deed.

"Thanks for that," Vanessa breathed out.

Kendal nodded but looked around. "Where is she?"

Derek knew just who she meant as he looked to the sky. "By the looks of it, I'm pretty sure she's close."

Just as the words left his mouth, Derek, spotted her, the Ice Queen. He could almost see the frost come from her breath. Kendal saw her too. She gave one final look to Derek, who nodded, before pulling out her bow and arrows. Derek looked over his shoulder to be sure Vanessa remained behind him.

Kendal took her first shot. The arrow flamed and blew close to the cold woman's cheek but did not touch. The Ice Queen smirked and shot ice directly back. Kendal somersaulted to dodge it and rose up on her knees, shooting a second arrow. This one pierces through the queen's dress. In return, the Ice Queen held out her hand and ice flared out from each finger. Kendal leaned back on the ground to miss the deadly ice but then shot up on her feet.

Kendal's third arrow carved into the Ice Queen's side. Derek and Vanessa looked to one another with hope. For a moment, they thought their friend just might have won.

Vanessa ran over to Kendal, who was holding her left arm, gasping for breath. At first, Derek did not understand until he looked at her arm. Her skin was slowly transforming to that pale ghastly blue. Kendal had been shot with ice.

Realizing this too, Vanessa desperately pulled her friend's arm and shook her head. "No! This isn't happening! Let's go quickly. Maybe we can find someone that can help?"

Kendal shook her head, sinking to her knees. "Its too late. You need to go."

Vanessa eyes watered. "No. No! I won't leave you! Not now! Not here!"

The coldness slowly spread throughout her entire body. Kendal gasped but could no longer get words out. She only looked to Derek, who nodded, before closing her eyes.

The Ice Queen pulled the arrow out of her side and stood proudly.

Derek pulled Vanessa's arm. "Come on. It's going to happen to us to if we don't escape now."

Vanessa's tears choked her up so bad she could not even form words. At first she resisted Derek's tugging, but her body eventually limped and went with him. The fighting stopped.

"Citizens of Ventura!" The cold woman announced. "Your queen has fallen. This kingdom belongs to me now. I suggest, wherever you are hiding Sahrissa, you hand her over now! Until I have her, I will not stop bringing death and coldness to each and every one of you here!"

"No!"

Derek stopped running and turned to see where the voice came from. He and Vanessa both gasped to see who it was.

The former queen of Ventura slowly approached the Ice Queen. A hooded man walked behind her, but stopped several paces behind.

"No more," Sahrissa insisted in heavy breaths. "You can have me, Stepmother, but you can't hurt any more people."

The Ice Queen laughed. "I don't think you're really in a position to make bargains."

"Please," Sahrissa pleaded, her eyes filling with tears. "You finally have me now. That's what you wanted. Please, spare the people. They are innocent of whatever anger I sparked in you."

"I did hope you would beg when this finally happened," the queen comments with a smirk. "However, when I imagined this, I thought of you begging for your own life, not the lives of others. Oh well. I suppose you know your fate."

Sahrissa pulled out a red apple from her sleeve. "I do. But before you kill me I want to offer one final gesture of peace. A gift. Its all I have now since I've been out of my kingdom."

The Ice Queen only laughed. "You think I would fall for one of your tricks Sahrissa?" She then stepped closer. "You know what? I will grant you your wish of not harming your people if you do one thing right now."

Sahrissa gulped. "What is that?"

The Ice Queen touched Sahrissa's hand and moved the apple to her mouth with it. "Take a bite. One bite and it will all be over."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "If I do this, you promise no one else will be harmed?"

The Ice Queen touched Sahrissa's cheek and nodded. "You have my word, dear. Now take a bite, and your suffering will forever end."

Sahrissa drew the apple to her mouth, but she asked, "Before I do this, will you answer me one thing?" When the Ice Queen nodded, she continued, "Why did you hate me all this time?"

The Ice Queen stepped away and snarled, "Most men who ask a woman to marry them, do it out of love, but not your father. All his time with me, his mind was always with her, your mother. He would even say her name in his sleep! He would always tell me about how much you looked like her and reminded him of her. Your father should have loved me but instead he could not get his mind away from a dead woman!"

Another tear dripped down Sahrissa's other cheek. She replied in a shaky tone, "I'm sorry you felt that way. Truly, I am."

Sahrissa bit into the apple. Only moments later, her body fell to the ground.


	19. Chapter 18 Ashes

_Chapter 18_

 _Ashes_

The snow stopped falling. Everything was still. Not a word breezed by as the Ice Queen strutted around Sahrissa's body, wearing a smirk of satisfaction.

Vanessa wanted desperately to go be by Kendal's side right now, but Derek's grip on her arm was too strong. At the moment he was scanning his surroundings. Vanessa could tell he was contemplating the best escape route. She, however, did not feel his motivation. Without Aria, Kendal, or a way of getting home, she could not see the point.

Derek tugged her back. "Come on. This way."

"What?"

"We need to get out of here," Derek insisted. "Trust me. It's what Kendal wants."

"I can't leave her," Vanessa whispered, her cheeks still wet. "I can't leave my friend with that monster."

Derek huffed. "Maybe we can come back. I don't know. But right now, we need to get away from here."

Vanessa started to follow but then turned her head and pressed her feet to the ground. Still holding her arm, Derek was forced to stop too.

"Wait," Vanessa said, softly, looking ahead. "Who is that?"

The hooded man that caught Vanessa's gaze stepped forward, just behind Sahrissa's head. He pulled down his hood, revealing a golden crown.

Vanessa gasped. "Do you think…"

"King Victor," the Ice Queen sneered, stepping towards Sahrissa's body. "There is nothing you can do for her now."

"You're wrong," the king retorts. "Evil cannot win here, and that's what you are. Evil."

She lets out a frosty chuckle. "It would appear I already have." The Ice Queen took a step towards the apple that dropped by Sahrissa's right hand. "Now, if you wish to be with her, I'm afraid this is the only way."

The cold woman bent down to pick up the apple. The moment her fingers contacted it, she wailed in pain.

"What's happening?" The Ice Queen whirled, clutching her fingers.

Vanessa's eyes widened as she witnessed what was happening. The Ice Queen's skin burned red, starting with the finger that touched the apple and gradually spreading throughout her entire body. The queen clutched her cheeks as the burning spread to her face. Her screams died as the rest of her flesh turned to a decaying grey.

King Victor knelt down beside Sahrissa and gently kissed her lips. Vanessa could see the queen's chest slowly rise up and down as life came back to her. Derek loosened his grip and Vanessa pulled away and rushed over to Kendal. She touched her friend's frozen arm, but immediately pulled away from the sting of the coldness. Vanessa's heart dropped at the loss of hope her friend would awaken.

Victor helped Sahrissa to her feet. Her doleful eyes moved to Kendal.

"I don't understand," Sahrissa said, putting her hand to her head. "This should have worked. All her magic should be undone."

"Maybe she's not dead," Victor suggested quietly.

Sahrissa took in a breath and started towards her stepmother's figure. It did not move. Her breathing grew heavier as she slowly reached her hand towards the Ice Queen's figure and touched her cheek. At that moment, Sahrissa watched her stepmother's body crumble to the ground into nothing but a pile of ashes.

There were a few gasps of awe, but other than that, the people remained silent.

Vanessa watched the queen pick up a handful of ashes and walk over to Kendal. She grabbed her friend's arm, ignoring the sting brought by the cold.

"What are you doing?" Vanessa demanded.

"Trust me," Sahrissa insisted, kneeling down beside her. "This has to work."

Sahrissa sprinkled the ashes across Kendal's chest. Vanessa felt the warmth of her flesh return. Her eyes popped open as she sits up gasping for breath.

"Kendal!" Vanessa embraced her tightly. "I don't believe it! It worked! How do you feel?"

"Really… really… cold," Kendal gasped, her mouth shivering.

King Victor pulled off his cloak and draped it around Kendal. "Here. This should help."

"Thank you," Kendal replied, hugging the cloak tight, looking up to him. "You're back! But how?" Her gaze moved to Sahrissa. "Did you…"

Sahrissa nodded. "Yes, you were right. My kiss woke him up as his did me."

Kendal glanced over at the pile of ashes before asking, "What happened?"

"When I left, I was approached by the fairy, Shayla, who claimed she was supposed to be my Fairy Godmother, on the road," Sahrissa began. "She was sent by Greg, the wizard, who made a discovery in one of his books. He told her the Ice Queen's power was nourished by acts of coldness and heartlessness. The only way to counteract her power would be…"

"An act of warmth and compassion," Kendal finished for her.

"Yes," Sahrissa agreed, looking to Kendal. "But at the time, I couldn't think of what to do with this. I wanted to come back to Ventura and tell you but I couldn't face you after running away. Instead I went to find King Victor and hoped what you said was right about my kiss waking him. As you can see, it did work. We then came up with this plan in hopes she would finally be defeated."

"It worked," Kendal muttered, looking at the pile of ashes. "and her ashes brought me back. We can save everyone now. Sahrissa, you truly are a hero."

xXx

Vanessa and Derek were loaned a carriage to ride to Galatia. Upon arrival, they found the kingdom still had a chill in the air but all the ice had melted. King Richard and Queen Gretel welcomed them warmly, especially after learning they brought a cure for their daughter.

The two were ushered to the room when Aria lay in her glass coffin. Derek lifted the glass top off. Vanessa pulled out the tiny sack of ashes from her pocket.

"Are you ready?" Vanessa asked, looking at him. "You know she's going to be really cold."

Derek held up the deep blue cloak he brought. "Don't worry. I came prepared."

Vanessa dusted the ashes over her friend's body. Just like Kendal, within moments the warmth returned to Aria's complexion. She sat up quickly in shivers. Derek threw the cloak around her and Aria grasped it. Vanessa wrapped her arms around her tightly. Derek did the same.

"It's so good to have you back." Vanessa could feel a joyful tear in her eye.

"What… happened?" Aria asked, still in shivers.

Derek tilted his head towards the lit up fireplace. "Maybe we should move over there and talk."

Both Vanessa and Derek helped her near the fire. Aria sat just close enough to feel the warmth but not get burned.

"How did you manage to revive me?" Aria asked, holding her hands to the flames.

"The Ice Queen's ashes," Vanessa answered. "They undid her magic apparently."

"So she's defeated?" Aria inquired on, looking around. "What about Kendal? Is she still in Bellaire?"

"Wow, you really did miss a lot," Derek commented, appearing to think back.

Vanessa then replied, "Kendal went with Sahrissa to Evalius to wake up Myrtle."

At first Aria nodded until what she said clearly hit her. "Wait… Kendal and Sahrissa?"

"Yeah, Sahrissa was actually the one that saved the day," Derek pointed out and then added in admiration, "But you should have seen Kendal in battle mode. She was incredible! She almost managed to take the Ice Queen down herself. I mean, she did shoot her…"

"Wow," Aria said in awe. "I really did miss a lot."

Both Derek and Vanessa nodded, appearing exhausted.

"So everything really is okay, now?" Aria asked.

"Yeah," Derek said, putting his arm around her. "Everything is fine now."

"I guess it's nice for once just to wake up and have everything be better," Aria pointed out with a sigh.

Vanessa laughed and added, "Yeah, next time it's my turn to sleep through it."

Aria laughed too and then asked, "What about Kendal and Sahrissa? Do you really think everything is going to be okay now between them?"

Vanessa nodded. "Trust me. From what I saw, they're going to be just fine."

xXx

Upon arriving in the palace of Evalius, Sahrissa took the ashes to Myrtle. The fairy remained on the throne, frozen. Just as she did with Kendal, Sahrissa sprinkled them over her body. As Myrtle gradually began to unfreeze, the people in the palace gathered around in hope. Kendal recently announced she would no longer be queen of Evalius so they had no choice but to turn to Myrtle.

The moment Myrtle began to gasp for breath, Sahrissa pulled off her brown cloak and put it around her.

"Sahrissa," Myrtle breathed, first looking to her and then behind her, "and Kendal. Not exactly the people I was expecting to see, especially together."

Sahrissa grinned. "A lot has happened while you were… I guess out."

"Clearly," Myrtle commented, looking around at the people, whom were all bowing. She then looked to Sahrissa and asked. "So what happened to the woman who did this to me?"

"She's gone," Sahrissa answered quietly. "She can't hurt anyone else."

"Thanks to Sahrissa," Kendal added. "It was her sacrifice that saved us all."

"Wow," Myrtle said looking impressed. "I guess you really did make something of yourself."

Sahrissa beamed. "Your advice a long time ago did get to me eventually, about being more than just a silly girl wishing for a better life. I guess it just wasn't what you planned at the time."

"Well, I'm glad it worked out now," Myrtle said with a smile, and then shot a glance to all the people still kneeling and asked Kendal, "Are these people bowing to me or to you?"

"You," Kendal answered. "I told them since I will be returning to my homeland, I can no longer be queen."

Cain then approached the throne, kneeling before Myrtle in desperation. "Queen Myrtle, will you go on ruling the people of Evalius? We look to you as a symbol of hope and moving forward. You will be honored greatly for all time."

Myrtle stood up and shook her head. "Oh no. I don't think I'll be doing that." She looked to Sahrissa and Kendal, adding, "Well, I suppose we should be leaving now."

Sahrissa started to follow, but Kendal remained behind and gawked at them.

"What?" Kendal stammered. "We can't just leave the people like this! We were both queen here. They looked up to us!"

Myrtle shrugged. "Well yes, but now we're not. It's not our problem anymore."

"Yes it is!" Kendal argued. "We both took on responsibility for this kingdom the moment we were crowned queen!"

Myrtle rolled her eyes. "You sound exactly like Verna, you know that? Maybe you thought you could do something for the people here as queen but the only reason I took the crown was to prevent Aria from coming here to look for you. Now since that's no longer an issue, I see no reason to continue being queen."

"For god's sake, that sounds like something Vanessa would say," Kendal grumbled, feeling this was just the same as arguing with her friend.

"I have an idea," Sahrissa offered. "Perhaps, we can let the people here choose their own leader."

"That's not a bad idea," Kendal said, looking to Cain. "Do you think that would work for the people here?"

"I think it's brilliant," Cain agreed. "I will find potential rulers at once and we shall have our election!"

"Good," Kendal replied, relieved. Now she felt she could leave without a guilty conscious.

Sahrissa's right sleeve started to slip down and she quickly pulled it up. Myrtle caught sight of the scars on her back.

"Those scratches your stepmother gave you that I couldn't heal," Myrtle began before asking, "do you think those ashes would heal them?"

"They should," Kendal agreed. "At the very least they will unfreeze it so you could heal it, Myrtle."

Myrtle held out her hand to Sahrissa, towards the sack of ashes. "Well, it's worth a try. Hand it over."

Sahrissa started to pass it to Myrtle but pulled it back. "Wait. If these ashes can undo all my stepmother's magic, then maybe they can unfreeze my Tatia's eyes so she can see again."

Myrtle raised her eyebrow. "Your stepsister? Didn't she align herself with your stepmother to try and kill you? Why would you help her?"

"She's still family," Sahrissa reminded her. "Perhaps with her sight back and without the constant coldness in her eyes, she'll be different."

Myrtle sighed. "Okay, I think you're taking this whole being-good thing a little too far."

"I think it's a good idea," Kendal said, supportively. "It's better if you try to make peace."

So as it was agreed, the three sought out Tatia next. They found her outside the palace of Bellaire, sipping tea in the garden.

"Tatia," Sahrissa spoke quietly.

"Yes, yes, I heard," Tatia spoke with impatience. "You defeated Mother and I suppose you probably intend to be queen here. Don't worry. I was just about to leave."

The stiffness in her tone reminded Kendal of her mother. She did not understand how Tatia could be this cold too, unless, she as well, made a journey to the Icelands. Suddenly, Kendal felt this might not be a good idea.

"I don't want you to leave just yet," Sahrissa said. "First, I have something to give you."

Sahrissa dusted the ashes over her stepsister's eyes. Soon after, they watered, appearing as though she were crying a pool of tears. Tatia held out her hand and caught what appeared to be a piece of glass the sprung from her left eye.

"What is this?" Sahrissa asked, taking her hand with the glass.

"It's a piece of a mirror mother brought back from the Northern lands she used to travel to," Tatia answered looking at it. "I remember it shattered and a piece got in my eye. When Mother tried to get it out, that's when I became blind. It felt like she froze my eyes."

"She did," Sahrissa said quietly.

Tatia looked to her stepsister and smiled. "Oh, Sahrissa, it's so good to be able to see again! You're so beautiful. I never realized before."

As she embraced a rather taken aback Sahrissa, Kendal gasped.

"What is it?" Myrtle asked her.

"I know about that mirror," Kendal declared. "I read the original story, _The Snow Queen._ In the story, a piece of the mirror got in the boy's eyes and caused him to see everything distortedly. That same thing must have happened to Tatia. That's why she was so cold and bitter all this time."

"Wow," Myrtle commented. "This definitely took a different turn than what I was expecting."

Kendal sighed, but smiled. "I guess things aren't always what they seem."

xXx

"Do you think the lake will be unfrozen by now?" Vanessa asked desperately.

Aria, Vanessa, Kendal and Derek, currently rode a carriage granted to them by Galatia towards the lake to go home.

"Verna said it might take some time, since it's a pretty big lake," Kendal stated with a sigh. "We might have to accept that we might be stuck here a little longer."

"I don't think I can take another day here!" Vanessa stammered.

"Come on, now," Derek interjected. "Everything is fine now. This place isn't so bad when you don't have to worry about getting killed any second."

"Yeah, until the next Ice Queen comes or one of us gets transformed into the next witch in Hansel and Gretel," Vanessa pointed out.

Kendal frowned. "I don't think I'll ever have the desire to eat children under any circumstances."

Derek laughed before asking Aria, "Hey, your mom's name is Gretel. You don't think…"

"I guess it's possible," Aria thought aloud. "I'll have to ask her sometime."

Just as the carriage came to a stop, Vanessa popped her head out. "Oh my god, I don't believe it!"

Without any further explanation, she jumped out. The rest followed her to see Ian standing in front of the lake. Vanessa ran over to him and jumped in his arms.

"You're here!" She said, excitedly, wrapping her arms around him. "That means we can go home now, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ian replied with a grin.

Vanessa pulled away. "Oh sorry. You probably want to talk to Kendal now."

Vanessa stepped towards the lake and Ian hugged Kendal and then Derek and Aria.

"How did you know you'd be able to get through now?" Kendal asked him.

Ian shrugged. "I didn't. When we first realized the portal was blocked Adora tried her magic to fix it but it didn't work. Since then, Walter and I have been taking turns everyday trying to get through. I guess today I got lucky."

Kendal smiled at him. "Yeah. I guess you did."

"What all happened here?" Ian asked, glancing at all of them.

Kendal began "Well…"

"Guys," Vanessa cut in. "We can have this conversation in Nebraska where it's safe. I don't know about you, but I'm going."

Without any further hesitation Vanessa jumped in the lake. Moments after, everyone else followed, one by one, back to their home.


	20. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

Myrtle sat at her old desk in her classroom with a stack off papers and a red pen. She made a mental note never to have Adora substitute for her again. The walls were now a tie-dye color with inconsistent patterns. It looked like a clown vomited paint all over the walls. When Myrtle questioned her on this, Adora claimed the room needed more color, but she could not decide which one so she painted them all. Myrtle planned to have the walls painted black. Perhaps that would intimidate the children.

Myrtle heard a knock on the door and replied, "Come in."

"Welcome back," Casey said with a smile as he closed the door behind him. "It's… uh, good to see you again."

"Thanks," Myrtle responded offering a small smile in return. "It's good to be back… I guess."

Her eyes briefly pointed at the stack of papers.

"I see," Casey commented. "Your friend left you a lot of work."

"Well, she did attempt to grade all these papers," Myrtle grumbled, with her hand on her head, exasperated, "but apparently no one explained to her how our grading system works." She held up one paper. "For instance, this one, she just wrote the letter, T. I don't know what that means."

"Terrific?" Casey suggested with a shrug.

"I suppose," Myrtle agreed with a sigh. "All she did on the actual paper was circle a sentence and write a question mark… I guess I'll give it a B-minus."

"I guess it must be hard for a fairy to adjust to living in the modern world," Casey pointed out, quietly.

"It didn't take me that long," Myrtle muttered until what he said struck her. "Wait… how… why do you know that?"

When Casey didn't immediately answer, Myrtle stood up. "Aria! It must be Aria. I'm going to have a talk with her. She can't just tell everyone."

"Wait," Casey said, grabbing her arm. "She was only trying to help you."

Myrtle raised her eyebrow. "Why would telling you about my true nature help me?"

The Science teacher looked down and muttered, "She thought maybe true-loves kiss would wake you up from whatever frozen spell you were under."

"Really…" Myrtle uttered, feeling suddenly light-headed. She then rolled her eyes. "Well, Aria's been in that world long enough to know that true-love's kiss wouldn't work on frozen people."

Casey remained quiet for a moment and then stepped towards the door. "Well, if you ever need anything or just want to talk…"

"You said something about getting coffee some time ago, didn't you," Myrtle cut in. When he nodded, she added, "Let's go now. I can use a boost."

Casey smiled. "That sounds good."

xXx

The lights flashed and the music softened as everyone gathered around the stage, anxiously awaiting who will be the next Junior Prom King and Queen. The boys were lined up on one side of the stage and the girls the other. Mr. Evans did the honor of making the announcement. However, first he chose to give a speech on the meaning of king and queen.

Vanessa huffed and rolled her eyes. "Seriously? I just want this to be over."

"A king to most is a symbol of leadership," Mr. Evans went on with passion, loosing the attention of the audience. "To others, he is a symbol of power and strength, and a representative of their lands."

"Oh my god," Vanessa grumbled.

Kendal could not help but chuckle. "I feel like this is the most we've learned from him since he came to Sheerwood."

"Is this going to a new tradition for this school?" Lacey wondered aloud.

"If that's the case, I'm never attending a Prom or any other dance here again," Vanessa stated with grit.

Kendal sighed and pointed out, "I'm sure after this, they'll probably pick a different announcer next year."

"A queen," Mr. Evans continued. "Now a queen…"

Mr. Conner tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

"Oh, okay." Mr. Evans went back to the microphone. "Mr. Conner here tells me you only wish to know the winners. Well then, here we go." He pulled out the name of one of the envelopes. "This years Prom King is… Ian Harris!"

Everyone applauded and cheered out with enthusiasm. Vanessa and Kendal looked at one another. Neither appeared surprised, as Ian was always quite popular.

Vanessa leaned over and whispered to Kendal, "Are you two back together yet?"

"I'm not sure," Kendal said. "We really have a lot to talk about. After all, I did choose a kingdom over him and he did try giving me an ultimatum so…"

Vanessa sighed. "I tried telling him ultimatums have bad karma… though I think I said it too late…"

Kendal did not answer as the clapping died down.

"Now, for this year's Prom Queen," Mr. Evans continued, "The Fairest in all of Sheerwood…

"You're not going to slip me a poison apple if I win, are you?" Vanessa asked with a grin.

Kendal rolled her eyes but smiled. "Ha ha."

Mr. Evans announced, "The winner is… Lacey Goodman!"

"Thank god it's not me," Vanessa said, relieved.

"Wow, you really didn't want it," Kendal commented, walking over to hug the new Prom Queen. "Congratulations, Lacey!"

"I don't believe it," Lacey said. "I really thought it would be you, Kendal."

Kendal shook her head. "Nah, I didn't really do anything. You were the one that made your own posters and made booths with little treats to get support. You actually worked for it. You deserve the win."

Lacey hugged her once again before walking over to the front stage to take her crown.

"Are you upset you didn't get it?" Vanessa asked.

Kendal shook her head. "A couple years ago I would have been but now it doesn't feel as important after all we've been through. Besides, I actually feel like our classmates got it right with their votes. Lacey was the one that really wanted it and she's always kind and generous to everyone."

"Yeah, you're right," Vanessa agreed. "In that case, I'm glad it was her too."

The moment the music started back up and the Prom King and Queen started their dance, Vanessa and Kendal walked down the stage and met up with Aria, Derek and Walter.

"So you're not going offer Lacey a poison apple since she won, right?" Derek asked Kendal with a grin.

Kendal rolled her eyes. "Seriously, that joke needs to stop."

Walter walked over to Vanessa and asked, "So since you didn't want to win, would it be appropriate if I said congratulations."

"Yes," Vanessa said with a laugh. "I am so relieved right now."

Kendal looked over to Aria and asked her, "So do you know if everything is okay in the other world now?"

Aria sighed. "Adora says there's still some work to be done but for the most part everything seems back to normal. She also gave me a long lecture about the consequences of crossing worlds all the time. She basically implied we should try to avoid it if we can."

"Fine by me," Vanessa said with s shrug. "I wasn't planning on making a trip there anytime soon."

Aria remained quiet for a moment as Derek put his arm around her.

Kendal raised her eyebrow. "There's something else, isn't there."

Aria nodded. "Adora also said if I don't ever become Queen of Galatia, it might just mess up the story there permanently."

For a moment, the young princess tilted her head down before finishing with what everyone seemed to expect, "I've told her and my parents that after senior year I will move to Galatia permanently and someday be queen."

 _The End_

 ** _A/N: This will likely be the last full-length novel in my Crossover series. I do have a few ideas for future stories that I may eventually put it. It will likely be a compilation of short stories unless I develop the ideas more later on. The 3 stories I plan to go into are, Peter Pan, Little Mermaid, and Alice and Wonderland. Thank you all, for your continued support and I hope everyone enjoyed this series!_**


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